SAMBOLIN: Welcome back to EARLY START. We start with breaking news here. Something none of us has heard before, experienced before: the Pope is retiring. Pope Benedict XVI this morning announcing to his cardinals that he is resigning due to his age and declining health. He is 85 years old. He will be 86 in April. So, the last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory in 1415.</s>BERMAN: Stunning, historic event we're telling you about this morning. We'll bring you developments as they unfold this morning. We do have some other news to tell you about right now. President Obama today will award the Medal of Honor to a hero in the war in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha helped rescue the injured and retrieve the dead during an ambush by hundreds of Taliban figters in Afghanistan, despite having a hole in his own arm from a rocket propelled grenade. The attack on Compound Outpost Keating on October 2009 and killed eight American soldiers, making the deadliest day for the U.S. in the war that year. Romesha will be only the fourth living service member from Afghanistan and Iraq to be awarded the Medal of Honor.</s>SAMBOLIN: And tomorrow night, President Obama delivers the State of the Union address, the first of his second term. Administration officials say that jobs and the state of the economy will be featured prominently in his address before member s of Congress, and of course, you, the nation. They say the president will unveil programs to create more jobs, increase the wages of American workers, and to strengthen the overall economy.</s>BERMAN: Headed to Washington later today, we're going to be covering the State of the Union tomorrow morning and Wednesday from Washington. Stay with CNN for complete coverage of the president's speech and analysis from the best political team in the business. It all begins tomorrow night at seven o'clock eastern time.</s>SAMBOLIN: And Soledad O'Brien with more on the Pope's resignation just ahead on "STARTING POINT". EARLY START right back after this quick break.
President to Award Medal of Honor Today