help me, ob1 kenobi. you're my only hope. >> those were some of the first words spoken by carrie fisher. in the first "star wars" film. we remember a princess and member of hollywood royalty dead at age 60. a chaotic scene in new york's tower over an evacuation over a suspicious package. two world leaders make history 75 years after the devastating attack on pearl harbor. time's square gets ready for its new year's eve close-up. parents up in arms after some high demand toys turn into christmas duds. and why some fans are going out of their way to protect betty white?

"early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm todd piro. we begin with the passing of a hollywood icon. carrie fisher for her portrayal of the plucky princess lea in the george lukas movies died at the age of 60. fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight friday. she had recently finished filming her role in the next episode of the "star wars 2s". >> reporter: in "star wars," carrie fisher was the determined royal who come hell or high water was going to save her people from the evil darth vader. >> what are you doing? >> somebody has to save our skin. >> "star wars" is not just a film franchise. it is perhaps "the" film franchise. she was the dominant force of those first few movies. >> you think you are leaving without a good-bye kiss? >> reporter: word came she suffered a heart attack, it stunned the world.

then news of her death. on twitter, "star wars" co-star mark hamill said no word, #devastating. hair son ford said, care yi was lived her life bravely. we will miss her. her mother said we will embrace the gifts . shampoo with warren baity was her first film followed by "star wars" when she was 19. during filming she had an affair with co-star with harrison ford and later would write about her insecurity and abuse of drugs in the best seller "post cards from the edge." she was wickedly funny and

unafraid of sharing her life's tree veils and triumphs. >> i make very difficult situations in my life funny as quickly as possible. >> reporter: fisher appeared in a number of tv shows from "sex in the city" to "the big bang theory." and had memorable roles in "when harry met sally." >> you are right. you are right. i know you are right. >> reporter: as john bellucci's girlfriend. in "the blue's brothers." she was the script doctor for a number of films and returned to the "star wars" filming. made famous for playing a princess. it will be the person, not the part, remembered best. >> may the force be with you. >> reporter: harry smith, nbc news, new york. >> carrie fisher dead at the age of 60. overnight two large

earthquakes struck near lake tahoe and they were felt near california and nevada. the 5.7 rattlers both centered in a remote area of nevada near the california line. 70 miles southeast of lake tahoe. struck after midnight and were followed by a series of smaller after shocks. so far no reports of injury or damage. it was a frightening and chaotic scene in new york's trump tower after a security scare led to a massive evacuation sending tourist, employees and the media scrambling for the exits. a suspicious and unattended bag led to the panic. however, the nypd says that bag was filled with children's toys. with just 23 days until january 20th, the chaotic moment that played out at this fifth avenue headquarters underscores the security concerns surrounding the president-elect's inauguration. clashes and protests could put pressure on an already stretched security apparatus.

this all comes after trump escalated his war of words with president obama pleading president obama campaigned hard and personally in the very important swing states and lost. the voters wanted to make america great again. israel now says it has, quote, ironclad information from arab sources that the u.s. helped craft the u.n. security council's anti-settlement resolution despite white house council pointing to egypt. house democrat and second in command sten any hoyer. tensions are escalating even more. secretary of state john kerry is expected to speak today rebutting israel's claims that the u.s. played a role in the security council's vote. they tell nbc news that kerry will speak, quote, candidly on the issue and will continue his call for a two-state solution. 75 years after the horrific

pearl harbor attacks that led the u.s. into world war ii, the leaders of japan and the u.s. made history visiting the sunken "u.s.s. arizona" memorial laying wreaths and commenting on the anguish in hawaii. shinzo abe visited where 2400 lives were lost in a day that will live in infamy. abu qatada's tammy leitner has more on the historic commemoration. >> reporter: a silent moment unimaginable 75 years ago. the prime minister of japan paying his respects at pearl harbor on "the u.s.s. arizona" memorial above where hundreds of sailors and marines are entombed below. >> translator: it is a place which brought utter silence to me. >> reporter: japanese prime minister shinzo abe visiting the battlefield where over 2400

americans died. the first japanese leader to visit the memorial. abe stopping short of making an apology. >> translator: i ever my sincere and everlasting condolences. >> it is here that we remember even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward. >> reporter: al rodriguez was stationed at pearl harbor when the bombs started falling. >> you could see the planes up above with the circles -- with a red circle on the bottom. we knew it was the enemy, it was japanese. >> reporter: he thinks the time has come for a visit like this, even as his own emotions are still raw. >> get very emotional. >> reporter: invited to be part of the ceremony, he never thought he would see a time when these two leaders would step foot on the battlefield where so much blood had been shed. earlier this year obama became the first sitting american president to visit hiroshima

where the u.s. dropped the first of two atomic bombs in 1945. cementing a partnership between two countries that were once enemies and now allies. >> that was nbc's tammy leitner reporting. now to a murder case testing the bounds of privacy involving one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. the amazon echo. police in arkansas have issued a warrant demanding that amazon give them data from alexa that can provide clues to a murder inside a home. nbc's miguel almaguer explains. >> reporter: amazon's popular home assistant echo, better known as alexa, was a best seller this christmas. now police in bentonville, arkansas, can help solve a real life who done it. amazon is saying no to audio recordings, transcribed records,

text records from an echo inside a home where a murder may have been committed. >> when you buy one, even when it's not on it's listening. >> reporter: prosecutors say 32-year-old james bates murdered his co-worker james collins. bates called 911 pled not guilty. he's scheduled to go to trial next year. his attorney says bates has nothing to hide but this is an issue of privacy. >> you should be able to do what you want in your home and that is free from the view of public, the view of police. >> reporter: amazon tells nbc news it will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us. amazon objects to over broad and otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course. the prosecutor says this is about justice. >> we have established probable cause and obtained a warrant from a judge to search this device the same way we would

search a person's cell phone, we would search a person's home. >> reporter: a murder in arkansas igniting the debate of privacy inside a home and if what's there can be used against you. miguel almaguer, nbc news, san francisco. just ahead, repercussions for alleged hacking in russia and china. plus, a young sports fan gets a surprise of his life before undergoing heart surgery. first, new england bracing for a nor'easter. let's get the latest from meteorologist bonnie snyder. >> good morning, todd. definitely looking at heavy snow for interior of new england. not for boston and new york city but areas into upstate new york and interior new england. look for some very, very heavy snow coming through on thursday night and friday. lake-effect snow impacting some areas. not expected in terms of heavy accumulation. we're also looking at unsettled weather once again in the pacific 64.

santa rosa, 62 degrees with plenty of sunshine. so, todd, california certainly looking terrific, but further off the coast as we head up into the northwest definitely looking at more rain ahead. >> understood, bonnie. thank you. forbes ranks the top grossing actors on the list who is the top and how much did they rake in. you are watching "early today." per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll.

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washington post the obama administration is close to announcing a series of punishments for russia's election interference. the retaliation is expected to include economic sanctions and sank tur and covert cyber operations. in a wake-up call for american lawyers "the wall street journal" is reporting u.s. prosecutors have indicted three chinese citizens for insider trading after they hacked into american law firms. prosecutors allege the three chinese traders earned more than $4 million from illegal profits from the alleged scheme which relied on stealing private information from law firms about certain company's financial plans. and then there's this heartwarming story as panthers quarterback cam newton met with a young fan after hearing of his severe heart condition. just watch as 10-year-old austin got to see and hug his hero in the flesh after the boy's teacher asked for prayers across from social media along with this plea that her post gets so widely shared that it gets

newton to austin's bedside. it looks like she was able to get her wish with the star nfl quarterback saying he must have been called over 100 times about the boy and just had to pay him a visit. just ahead, we'll tell you how much americans waste on unwanted gifts. plus, why one boss is taking more than 600 of his employees to the warm waters of the caribbean. you are watching "early today." when a cold calls... achoo! ...answer it. with zicam cold remedy. it shortens colds,

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in today's quick hits, if you received holiday gifts you didn't want, you are not alone. according to finder.com, americans waste $9.5 billion on unwanted gifts every year. the most unwanted presents are clothing and accessories followed by household items, cosmetics and books. i love this. check this out. the internet goes wild for t. rex tuesday. this week following a christmas blizzard in north dakota, this prehistoric beast was out battling cold in the city of bismarck. you go get it, t. rex. and the hottest holiday toy may not be all it's cracked up to be. customers are complaining their kids hatchables won't hatch. toy creator spin master is urging parents to send their complaints via twitter. stocks inch upward with the dow still within reach of the 20,000 mark.

nbc's landon dowdy has more on what's moving your money. good morning to you, landon. >> hi there, todd. good morning as well. wall street could start out positive today. stocks hosting small gains with the nasdaq hitting a record high on very low volume. investors cheering economic data showing consumer confidence at a 15-year high and donald trump taking credit for that increase. in a tweet posted last week, thanks, donald. last year's surge in spending may have offset a slow start to the holiday shopping season. sales at brick and mortar stores rose 6% after having fallen for most of december. master card said the strong demand for furniture, home furnishings and men's apparel pushed it up 4%. apple wants to encourage you to keep your new year's resolution. it's rolling out an update to apple watch users. they'll be greeted by the ring in the new year.

get all of the watches for a full week. couple more days. >> you don't have it yet? i'm going with weight, the standard one considering i literally gained six pounds over christmas. >> i think i ate enough for the both of us. i'll be in the gym with you. >> coming up, why the internet is begging 2016 to leave betty white alone. we'll tell you why next. don't let sinus symptoms bring you down now!

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forbes magazine is out with its list of the top grossing actors of 2016. the magazine came up with its rankings based on global box office totals. number one, scarlet johanna. movies, get this, starring scar jo earned $1.2 billion in 2016. she edged out chris evans and robert downey jr., they tie for second place on forbes list. wow. >> that's a lot of money. nice to see a woman leading the list. >> my wife's favorite there. betty white trending topic on twitter this morning. thousands of her fans tweeting this plea to the year of 2016. leave betty white alone. >> been a rough year so far for sure. a lot of losses. >> fans want to protect her and keep her safe from what is turning out to be a particularly painful year like you just said in celebrity deaths. one fan went so far as to start a go fund me case.

it's up to $1700 so far. >> really? >> the money will be donated to a theater company. >> i'm glad they're donating it. in iowa. the owner of bertch cabinets based in waterloo is taking the staff on an all expense paid caribbean vacation for a job well done and 600 employees took him up on the offer. four planes will be chartered to take them to miami where they will board a cruise ship in paradise. here's what the owner had to say. >> we're proud of the success we've had. we've had a lot of very good years since the great recession we've had some pretty tough years and everybody pulled together. >> good stuff there. just ahead, carrie fisher and the legacy of princess leia. how that inspired girls throughout the years. per roll

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the mild weather across the south continues with temperatures so warm. look at dallas, 80 degrees today. that is unseasonably mild. also going to be lovely in los angeles with 76 degrees and sunshine. seattle, you'll get peaks of sun mixing in with rain. it looks like tomorrow we're not seeing too much of a change. forecast looks great with the exception of the nor'easter developing into new england. we'll be watching for that snow, but a lot of the country saying snow? what snow? it's nice out. thank you, bonnie. more on the enormous emotional outpouring for the actress of carrie fisher. she proved to generations of female fans that women can be so much more than dam sells in distress in traditionally male dominated genres. stephanie gosk has more on a pop

culture trail blazer. >> reporter: at this moment in return of the jeddi java the hut was hated as much as darth vader. princess leia turned around and did this. when i saw this scene in 1983 the crowd in the theater cheered, and so did i. as someone pointed out, leia wasn't just a princess, she was bad ass. >> it makes everyone wish they were as strong as her. >> princess leia was a leader and a hero like all the men. >> reporter: there was more than a little of that attitude that came from the actress herself. in an interview carrie fisher responded to criticism about that by kip any she wore in the scene. a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit and then i killed him because i didn't like it. today all across the internet there are white dresses and those ear buns. even little girls too young to

know are dressed up. let's not forget leia was the one who stole the plans to the evil death star and had no problem putting hans solo in his place. >> why, you stuck up half witted scruffy looking nurf herder. >> reporter: now the female characters in the movies reflect leia's strength. after a prolific career as an actor and writer, she admitted there is no chance of escaping the role. i am princess leia no matter what and we will miss her. >> i love you. >> i know. >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> classic lines there in that movie. she really was a role model for young women. >> she will be missed. >> yes. >> i'm todd piro, thanks for watching "early today." have a great wednesday, everybody. we will see you back here tomorrow.

breaking news this morning. at a major south bay freeway at a near standstill after a horrific multicar crash that resulted in a significant injury. we have a crew on the scene. plus pete suratos is in san francisco. >> reporter: san francisco residents reporting a gas smell odor around the city. what pg&e is saying about it this morning. >> iconic star wars actress carey fisher has died. we look at her storied career. "today in the bay" starts right now. >> good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia-cannon. >> let's get straight to vianey arana following a