Seeker as a virtual witness in a murder trial . Nightly news begins right now. Announcer from nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. Im tamron hall in for lester. She was a force all her own. Actress and writer Carrie Fisher who rose to fame as Princess Leia in one of the biggest blockbuster series of all time, star wars, has died at age 60. The iconic star passed away days after suffering a massive heart attack on board a flight from london to l. A. From birth, she was part of hollywood royalty, and tonight, her legions of fans reflect on the legacy she created all over own. Nbcs harry smith with more. Reporter in star wars, Carrie Fisher was going to save her people from the evil darth vader. What the hell are you doing somebody needs 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 im going to leave without giving you a goodbye kiss reporter when word came last friday that she suffered a heart attack on a flight from london to los angeles, it stunned the world. But then news today of her death. On twitter, star wars costar mark hamill said, no words, devastated. Harrison ford in a statement said, carrie was funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life bravely. We will all miss her. Fishers mother thanked all who embraced the gifts and talents of her beloved and amazing daughter. Carrie fisher was a child of Hollywood Mega stars, Debbie Reynolds and eddie fisher. Think of eddie as brad pitt, debbie as jennifer aniston, and elizabeth as angelina jolie. Reporter shampoo with Warren Beatty was her first film, followed by star wars when she was 19. During filming, she had an affair with costar harrison ford, and later would write about her insecurity and abuse of drugs, in the bestseller postcards from the edge. Fisher, who also struggled with mental illness, was wickedly funny and was unafraid of sharing her lifes travails and triumphs. I make very difficult situations in my life funny as quickly as possible. Reporter fisher appeared in everything from sex in the city to the big bang theory. And had memorable roles in when harry met sally hes never gonna leave her. Of course, he isnt. Youre right, youre right. I know youre right. Reporter and as John Belushis torchcarrying girlfriend in the blues brothers. Without screen credit, she was the script doctor for a number of films, and returned to the Star Wars Franchise in 2015. She had reportedly just finished filming her latest scenes for the next star wars film. Made famous for playing a princess, it will be the person, not the part, who will be remembered best. May the force be with you. Reporter harry smith, nbc news, new york. And now to that breaking news here in new york, a security scare at trump tower late today, forcing an evacuation. A suspicious bag triggered the panic, but a Senior Police official says it later turned out to be filled with toys. President elect trump was not there at the time. He remains at his maralago estate in florida. Safety also a major concern at malls across the country, after a serious of massive brawls erupted the day after christmas. Security has been steppedup at more than a dozen malls after violence sent shoppers running for the exits. As nbcs Gabe Gutierrez explains, some authorities believe social media is partly to blame. Reporter again and again, they seem to explode out of nowhere. Looked like people were throwing punches, fighting. It was just a huge mob of people. Reporter brawls at malls across america, ranging from minor melees to mass evacuations. In aurora, illinois, eight teenagers have been charged. No one really knows what caused it. It was just two girls started first and other people got involved too. Reporter chaos at more than 15 Shopping Centers in a dozen states. At this new jersey mall, pandemonium, police in riot shields, storming the food court. Witnesses say a person shouted gun after someone slammed a chair during a fight. This video from connecticut shows an outnumbered officer trying to control the crowd. They just started yelling and pushing each other. Reporter in ft. Worth, texas, multiple fights with more than a hundred teenagers. In ohio, false reports of shots fired near cleveland. No weapons found. At another mall in chattanooga, tennessee, Police Say Two people set off fireworks, sparking a panic. I heard the pop, pop, pop. All of a sudden, just a tsunami of people, running over tables and screaming. I have shoe marks on my jacket from people stepping on me. Reporter shopper jim tanner said it was complete confusion, in an age of mass shootings. Folks are more attune to every incident that happened. Reporter authorities dont believe the incidents are connected, though some blame social media for turning minor disturbances into major hysteria. Social media is going to be the death of this country. They cause more of a panic than is necessary. Reporter tonight the malls are back open, with steppedup security. Here in chattanooga, police say the fireworks were set off to cover up a smashandgrab robbery. Now the search is on for the thieves. Meanwhile, this mall is packed as the post christmas rush is in full swing. Tamron . Gabe gutierrez, live for us in tennessee. Thank you, gabe. A solemn and historic moment late today when japans Prime Minister became the first of his countrys leaders to visit the uss arizona memorial at pearl harbor. And by his side, president obama making what is likely his final visit of his presidency to the site. Our Tammy Leitner is there with more. Reporter a silent moment, unimaginable 75 years ago. The Prime Minister of japan paying his respects at pearl harbor, on the uss arizona memorial. Above where hundreds of sailors and marines are entombed below. Translator it was a place which brought utter silence to me. Reporter japanese Prime Minister shinzo abe visiting the battlefield where over 2,400 americans died. The first japanese leader to visit the memorial. Today, abe stopping short of making an apology. Translator i offer my sincere and everlasting condolences. It is here that we remember that 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 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. I get very emotional. Reporter invited to be part of the ceremony today, he never thought hed 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. Todays visit, cementing a partnership between two countries who were once enemies and now allies. Both leaders talked about how their countries were tested in war and how they found strength in the power of reconciliation. Tamron . Tammy leitner, thank you so much. A state of emergency has been declared in a neighborhood outside detroit where a massive sinkhole has opened in the ground. 22 families have been forced to evacuate their homes, and officials fear it could be a long time before they can return, if their houses are even still in place. We get the details now from nbcs ron mott. Reporter tonight, in this neighborhood north of detroit, almost no ones home for the holidays. A massive sinkhole, approaching the size of a football field, has evicted nearly two dozen families. Evacuated after sudden cracks began tearing one home apart on christmas eve. Now a waiting game, will it grow, can they stop it . Youre just grabbing what you can at this point, right . Yeah. Clothes and valuables. And christmas presents. Reporter already Officials Say three houses are destroyed. Water and power shut off. The citys mayor calling for a state of emergency. We were informed its much larger, that it encompasses the majority part of a neighborhood and many, many families. Reporter t. J. s pizza shop is across the street from the sinkhole. Late today he was finally able to reopen for business. Theyre making in roads to get connection to businesses. But right out front, you cant get through. Which will affect all the local businesses. Reporter the culprit, an 11foot wide sewer line buried 45 feet underground. Authorities suspect that line may have snapped, sending raw sewage into the earth, triggering the sinkhole. Its a case of deja vu. This sink hole opened on the same stretch of road in 2004. This time around, emergency crews hit a few setbacks, including cutting the gas line this morning. Those forced to leave may not be able to return home for several weeks as officials try to stabilize the ground. I can understand that, but its hard. Reporter ron mott, nbc news. Some potentially alarming news for drivers of one of the most popular cars on the road. U. S. Safety regulators have opened an investigation into the ford fusion and Mercury Milan from model years 2007 to 2009. It could lead to a recall. Theyre looking into reports that brakes may fail on rough or uneven surfaces. Three crashes have been reported so far, but no injuries. Investigators have begun examining the flight data recorder recovered from that doomed Russian Military plane. Theyre hoping it will provide answers about what caused the aircraft to crash into the black sea minutes after takeoff sunday. 92 people were killed. Officials say they dont believe it was terrorism. Now to a murder case testing the bounds of privacy. It was one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. The amazon echo Smart Speaker with home assistant alexa. But police in arkansas have issued a warrant, demanding access to an echo, hoping it can provide clues to a murder inside a private home. Nbcs Miguel Almaguer explains. Alexa, whats the weather . Reporter amazons popular home assistant echo, better known as alexa, was a bestseller this christmas. Now police in bentonville, arkansas, hope alexa can help solve a reallife who done it. But amazon is saying no to a warrant seeking electronic data in the form of audio recordings, transcribed records, text records from an he can toe inside a home where a murder may have been committed. When you buy one of these things, even if its not on, its on, and its listening. Reporter prosecutors say 32yearold james bates, murdered his coworker Victor Collins who was found strangled in bates hot tub. Bates who called 911, pled not guilty. Hes scheduled for trial next year. His Attorney Says he 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 tonight amazon tells nbc news it will not release customer information without a valid and Binding Legal demand properly served on us. Amazon objects to overbroad 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 persons cell phone, a persons home. Reporter tonight, a murder in arkansas, igniting the debate over privacy inside the home. And if whats heard there can be used against you. Miguel almaguer, nbc news, san francisco. More privacy concerns still ahead. Did you get a new smartphone or laptop for the holidays . A warning tonight about the potential dangers lurking on your old devices. The steps to take before you get rid of them. Also, the mistake on their Party Invitation that made them a viral hit. Well be back. Back now with a warning for everyone who got a new smartphone or laptop this holiday. As you switch on those new devices, beware of all the ultra personal information on old devices youre getting rid of. Even if you think youve deleted it all, complete strangers could still use it to access a treasure trove of sensitive data. Nbcs National Investigative correspondent jeff rossen and his team share what you need to know to protect your information in tonights rossen reports. Reporter we store everything on our phones and laptops. Emails, texts, even shopping and banking information. When i delete stuff off this thing, i assume its gone. All of that information is still there, easily accessible by anyone, even thieves. Reporter we want to see for ourselves, so we buy dozens of used cell phones online. Laptops too. We bring them to be analyzed. This would be an identity thiefs gold mine. Reporter this laptop we bought for 75, giving us full access to the family we bought it from. Home address, phone numbers, personal family pictures. Reporter thats scary. We found tax information. Reporter right down to their bank routing numbers, even account numbers. So who does it belong to . This suburban mom named traci. I track her down. I want to show you all of the things we pulled off your computer. All of my financial information, my place of employment. Reporter Social Security numbers of your entire family. Social security numbers of everyone. Reporter people can do damage with that information. Yes. Reporter think thats bad . On this next device, a cell phone belonging areah, a college freshman, we find 3,000 private text messages, secret passwords to her student scholarship, social media accounts, and shopping apps, even when and where she goes to class. We set up a meeting to tell her what we found. Thats scary. You can lose everything just from a phone. Because i have all my information on there. Reporter so how do you really wipe your devices clean . Lets show you, starting with the iphone, i have one called up right here. You hit settings right there. You come here to general. Once you hit that, you scroll all the way down to the bottom. You see it says reset right there . You hit that, then you want to look for this, erase all content and settings. You hit that and you get that phrase there, erase iphone. On android, some models want you to go into settings and encrypt the data, factory reset here too. Hit settings, backup and reset, scroll down to factory data reset. Reset device. And your information is gone. As for laptops, experts say there is no factory reset. So take the hard drive out before selling. Jeff rossen, nbc news, salt lake city. When we come back, troubling new details about iconic Popstar George michaels final days. We are learning more tonight about the final hours of Popstar George michael. The iconic singers partner tells a british newspaper that michael died alone after revealing on social media that he was the one who found michael dead on christmas morning. Michaels manager says he died from heart failure. No word yet on funeral plans. The party was only supposed to be for family and friends, but tens of thousands descended on a small town in mexico monday for a teenage girls traditional 15th Birthday Celebration after the invitation video was accidentally posted publicly by her father. Well, it quickly went viral with more than a Million People rsvp ing and many of them showed up. And let the countdown begin, a big sign the new year is almost upon us. The iconic ball is 12 feet in diameter and covered in more than 2,600 waterford crystals. More than a Million People are expected to witness it drop in times square on new years eve, with millions more watching at home. When we come back, Carrie Fisher and Princess Leias legacy. All the little girls the actress in character inspired over the years. Drivers are hitting the streets. Vicky vo how their upside is creating a downside for more than just taxis. Terry vo plus. A womans battle with sears. Nbc bay area responds with one call that ended four months of runaround. Terry next close finally tonight, more on the enormous, emotional outpouring for actress Carrie Fisher. With her signature role as Princess Leia in the star wars movies, fisher proved to generations of female fans that women could do so much more than be damsels in distress in traditionally maledominated genres. Our Stephanie Gosk has more on a pop culture trail blazer. Reporter at this moment in return of the jedi, jabba the hutt was hated as much as darth vader. And then his prisoner 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 today, leia wasnt just a princess, she was a bad ass. Shes the strong character that makes everyone wish they were as strong as her. Princess leia was a leader and she was a hero, just like all the men in the series. Reporter and there was more than just a little of that attitude that came from the actress herself. In an interview, she responded to criticism about the bikini she wore in the scene. Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then i killed him because i didnt like it. All across the internet there are white dresses and those ear buns, even little girls too young to know are dressed up. Lets not forget, leia was the one who stole the plans to the evil death star and had no problem putting han solo in his place. Why, you stuckup, halfwitted, scruffylooking, nerd herder. Reporter now the female characters in the latest movies reflect her strength. After a prolific career as an actor and writer, fisher admitted there was no escaping the role that defined her. I am Princess Leia, she told a newspaper, no matter what. And we will miss her. I love you. I know. Reporter Stephanie Gosk, nbc news, new york. And we will indeed miss her. That will do it for us tonight on this tuesday night. Im tamron hall in for lester. I will see you tomorrow morning on today. From all of us here at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. Christmas. 02 terry take vo right now at 6 a brutal beating in the south bay. Why Authorities Say a son killed his mother on Christmas Day. Terry 2shot the news at 6 starts now. A son killed his mother on Christmas Day. The news at 6 00 starts right now. Im terry mcsweeney. And im vicki nguyen. It is a brutal, horrifying crime. A mother beat to death with a baseball bat by her own son on Christmas Day where a woman was a prominent member of the community. Live from gilroy with details on the crime and how the woman is being remembered tonight. Reporter this is going to go down as a very sad time in gilroys history. Were here at the historical museum, which is an appropriate place to start our story about the victim. Its unfortunate the life history of claudia sluski ended tragically. She literally wrote the book about the community as an authorer and was a longtime educator at Gilroy High School and san jose state university. A Community Contributor and she certainly was in every way you could think of and a very gracious, thoughtful person who was always kind of looking out for others who needed a little extra helping hand. Reporter but the Sheriffs Department says on Christmas Day they got a 911 call from the family home. When had deputies were enroute, they learned a son