>> what are you doing? >> somebody has to save skins. >> the world mourns hollywood royalty. >> condolences are flooding in after the death of "star wars" icon carrie fisher. >> this is almost desperate hour. help me obi-wan kenobi. you're my only hope. >> secretary of state john kerry expected to deliver a speech on the u.s.' vision for middle east peace. >> three weeks before he leaves office he's going to offer a comprehensive plan for middle east peace? give me a break. >> president-elect donald trump made thomas bossert the assistant to the president for homeland security. >> we've got all kinds of people in this cabinet. some of them about to fall off the ideological ledge and others more mainstream. >> it's not easy to live in this kind of weather. >> high winds and drifting snow continue to make travel hazardous in the dakotas. the harsh weather is moving east. >> very crazy out here. >> more violence at shopping malls in philadelphia. fighting broke out in the food court. >> shouting, yelling. >> a security scare inside trump tower dozens of people sent running to the doors. >> all that. >> quarterback cam newton made a christmas wish come true for a young fan. >> you all right? >> the high school point guard walks up to the half-court line and effortlessly drains the shot. >> and all that matters. >> history in hawaii. a japanese prime minister meeting with a u.s. president at pearl harbor. >> the deepest wounds of war, can give way to friendship and lasting peace. >> on "cbs this morning." >> someone wrote on the internet, carrie, whatever happened to carrie fisher. she used to be so hot. now she looks like elton john. but i claim it. if i can claim it, it's mine. >> you own it -- >> if you declare something had less power over you, far less, than you're weak in a strong voice. >> words to live by as we kel am you to "cbs this morning." i'm josh elliott with vladimir duthiers and margaret brennan. well, carrie fisher's friends and co-stars are remembering her talent, her humor, and her openness both on-screen and off. fisher who really shot to fame as princess leia in "star wars" died yesterday at age 60. she had suffered a heart attack on friday during the final moments of a flight from london to los angeles. >> the actress appeared in dozens of movies and tv shows over more than four decades. kevin frazier of our partners at "entertainment tonight" is in los angeles with a look at fisher's remarkable life. kevin, good morning. >> good morning. carrie fisher was the daughter of hollywood royalty, who became a movie icon in her own right. she will be forever remembered for generations of "star wars" fans as the fierce and feisty princess leia. but she was also a best-selling author, who was open and honest about her personal struggles, and that dignity will be sorely missed. >> what are you doing? >> somebody has to save our skins. >> carrie fisher burst into superstardom at the age of 20, thanks to her portrayal of the feisty princess leia in "star wars." fame was in her dna. her father was sincer eddie fisher, her mother actress debbie reynolds. ♪ happy times happy nights ♪ >> reporter: reynolds offered a note of gratitude on facebook, thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talent of my beloved and amazing daughter. fisher joked about her mom and dad with rita braver on sunday morning in 2004. >> both my parents together i think have been married about eight times or something. i don't have good role models so it's their fault. >> reporter: it was that effortless humor tinged with unfiltered openness about her personal struggles with addiction and manic depression that made carrie fisher stand out in hollywood. >> i have been knocked around by myself and a little bit by the world. being celebrity kids, that's the dichotomy. >> reporter: fisher chronicled her life in a series of best-selling books. >> she's out. >> reporter: a big screen career. that started opposite warren beatty in "shampoo" at the age of 17. >> i'm nothing like my mother. >> reporter: it would be a film career that spanned four decades from the blues brothers to when harry met sally to reprising her iconic role in "the force awakens" just last year. >> may the force be with you. >> reporter: "star wars" creator george lucas issued a statement. she was extremely smart, a talented actress, writer, and some he comedienne. from harrison ford carrie was one of a kind, brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fears and from mark hamill, no words. devastated. fisher was a woman who used her creativity to shape a life she loved. >> i'm proud of myself that i've been able to get through this stuff. and i'm been able to -- i can't overcome it. but i can use it. i'm not afraid of anything. >> fisher is survived by her daughter, her only child, actress billy lord, and star wars fans will be grateful to know that we'll see her one more time on the big screen. she has completed her shooting for the latest edition of "star wars," and so, it is fitting, josh, that that's the last time that we will see carrie fisher. >> indeed is it. kevin frazier in los angeles. thank you. i -- you know, i was in -- i saw "rogue one" yesterday the 12:30 showing. the news broke at 12:51, i had just turned off my phone, when the movie ended my girlfriend turned to me and said carrie fisher has died. she was my first crush. >> little boy me's first love. but also, she was just so very human. with every reason perhaps not to be, and she was the epitome -- >> i loved that she had this whole other second career that we didn't pay as much attention to, as an author, a script doctor. >> and advocate. >> speaks her mind. really interesting. >> entertainment tonight is going to have more reaction this evening so please do check your local listings. and in our next half hour again we're going to examine carrie fisher's crucial role as a mental health advocate. how she addressed her own personal struggles with ferocity and with humor. that's ahead on "cbs this morning." president obama returns to his family vacation this morning after an historic visit to the "uss arizona" memorial. the president joined japanese prime minister shinzo abe at pearl harbor yesterday. they honored more than 2,000 americans killed in the surprise japanese attack 75 years ago this month. now this was the first joint visit to the memorial by a japanese leader and a u.s. president. chip reid is traveling with president obama in honolulu. chip, good morning. well, good morning. prime minister abe did not apologize for the attack on pearl harbor but in a heartfelt speech he did offer his deepest sympathies to the victims. >> wars can end. the most bitter of adversaries can become the strongest of allies. >> with the japanese prime minister by his side, president obama looked forward a future of peace while standing at the site of a devastating attack on the u.s. >> we cannot choose the history that we inherit. but we can choose what lessons to draw from. and use those lessons to chart our own futures. >> reporter: during a historic visit to pearl harbor, prime minister abe did not exactly offer an apology, but instead his sincere and ever-lasting condolences. >> translator: we must never repeat the horrors of war again. >> reporter: at the "uss arizona" memorial the two men honored the 1,177 sailors who perished when the ship was bombed on december 7th, 1941. seven months ago, president obama became the first sitting u.s. president to visit hiroshima, where he emphasized the perils of nuclear war. >> a flash of light, and a wall of fire, destroyed a city. and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself. >> reporter: survivor of the attack, 95-year-old navy veteran sterling kale never thought a japanese leader would come to pearl harbor and says abe's visit is an unspoken way of saying, i'm sorry. >> words you can forget. but if going to the "arizona" memorial, the action is better than words. >> reporter: the ceremony with prime minister abe was probably mr. obama's last meeting as president with a foreign leader. now he returns to his final presidential vacation here in hawaii, where the only meetings on the schedule are on the golf course, or the beach. vlad? >> chip, thanks. secretary of state john kerry is making one more pitch for mideast peace. in a speech this morning, kerry's expected to outline his vision for ending the israeli/palestinian conflict with a two-state solution. kerry speaks out at a tenth time in u.s./israeli relations. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu claims the u.s. helped create a u.n. resolution demanding that israel stop building settlements in occupied areas. the state department denies the allegations. this morning, netanyahu delayed a vote to authorize construction of new settlement projects in east jerusalem. the u.s. is closer to punishing russia for interfering in the presidential election. as early as this week the obama administration may announce a series of measures, including economic sanctions. covert cyber operations are also being considered. this comes as president-elect donald trump makes two more staff appointments. cybersecurity expert thomas bossert will be his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, jason greenblatt, one of mr. trump's lawyers, will take the newly created job of special representative for international negotiations. julianna goldman's covering the trump transition. julianna, good morning. >> good morning. the appointments are a marriage of sorts between mr. trump's business world, and the washington foreign policy establishment. bossert is an expert in cybersecurity and a potential ally for republicans who want to see the president-elect and his team take a tougher approach to russian president vladimir putin. >> there's no doubt in my mind that russia hacked into our political system. >> reporter: senators lindsey graham and john mccain believe the president-elect will soon have to acknowledge russia's efforts to interfere in the u.s. election. >> i think he will be presented with the overwhelming evidence, change his view. >> we'll have the hearings and we're going to put sanctions together that hit putin as an individual, and his inner circle. >> reporter: they may have an ally in the trump administration. thomas bossert is a george w. bush alum with an expertise in cybersecurity. >> if the government doesn't step in and address authority issues of the threat. >> reporter: as the president's homeland security adviser, bossert will be considered equal to the national security adviser, general michael flynn. according to a statement from the trump transition, bossert will focus on domestic and transnational security priorities, while flynn will focus on international security challenges. flynn has drawn criticism for his hard-line policies regarding muslims. and for his ties to the kremlin. bossert could be the counterweight to flynn that members of the gop foreign policy establishment have been seeking. and following last week's u.n. security council condemnation of israel's west bank settlements, mr. trump has announced a new international negotiator. jason greenblatt, a business lawyer who has been with mr. trump for two decades, was also a campaign adviser on israel. the president-elect said greenblatt has a history of negotiating substantial, complex transactions on my behalf. something that may appeal to republicans like lindsey graham. >> i'm very encouraged that under president trump israel's going to get a better deal. >> reporter: the president has created this position for greenblatt, installing someone he sees as a fellow business dealmaker in a key diplomatic role working on issues like trade and middle east peace. margaret, mr. trump has said he supports more settlement construction, and also his choice for u.s. ambassador to israel is a staunch supporter. >> julianna, thank you. gerald seib the washington's senior staff. what does this suggest to you about what donald trump is thinking? >> two things i think. one i think we're finding out while there's been a lot of attention focused on the cabinet you're going to have a powerful white house. you have climate change, middle east peace, a whole series of issues and cybersecurity where it appears the locus of power is going to be in the trump white house not necessarily with the cabinet members we've been focusing on. the second thing is, and i think this is something we learned about donald trump generally he approaches every issue like a negotiation. there's posturing, there's movement, there's sometimes statements that seem to be out on the edge. i think as in the case of middle east peace a lot of this is about positioning yourself for negotiation in the deal this is the guy who wrote the art of the deal after all. >> gerry, we have seen donald trump break ranks with tradition in really not speaking with one voice, as breaking with the obama administration on israel. on china. on russia. what's the impact of that? >> well you know, i do think it's probably left president obama a little frustrated and a little underpowered in his final few weeks in office. it is a break with tradition. there are a whole series of issues where previous president-elect might have kept their silence. he's spoken out in particular on the u.n. resolution but people have forgotten he also spoke up about how to handle the incident in which the chinese navy stole potenti potentially a u.s. novi drone how that ought to be handled as well, via twitter. the combination of speaking out and doing so via 140 characters on twitter have left everybody a little -- a little taken aback, i think. never seen this before. >> gerry, do you think his pick to handle international negotiations will open up new concerns about conflict of interest? what do you make of that pick? >> well look, i think the concern on the part of the people who workry about israeli/palestinian peace and you're going to hear this from secretary kerry in coded language today in his speech has more to do with the substance of what's going on here. we're back to people saying should there be a u.s. condemnation of settlements on the west bank. should the u.s. embassy be moved from tel aviv to jerusalem? should there really be a two-state solution? that's been all those things have been sort of basic tenets of u.s. middle east policy for the last couple of decades. donald trump has managed to throw all of them open to question right now and so a think more than style of negotiation, we're back to one of the positions of the u.s. in a trump administration on the key issues on israeli/palestinian peace questions. >> gerry seib, thanks. >> thanks. security scarce sent people scrambling at trump tower yesterday. video shows visitors running from the lobby as police waved them out. evacuation was triggered by the discovery of a stray back pack. bomb squad technicians determined it contained children's toys. and was harmless. president-elect trump was in florida at the time. a string of more than 20 earthquakes shook a large area of nevada and california overnight. the first two quakes just after midnight measured 5.7 in magnitude. they hit near hawthorne, nevada, almost 100 miles southeast of lake tahoe. people as far away as sacramento said they felt the quakes. no injuries have been reported. the first nor'easter of the season is expected to hit new england tomorrow. at least half a foot of snow could fall from massachusetts to maine. strong wind gusts and rain are likely along the coast. dangerous wind knocked down trees outside boston yesterday. and some of those gusts were close to 50 miles an hour. to the west, south dakota's governor declared a state of emergency after a christmas blizzard. tony dokoupil is covering the storm that buried homes and cars in snow. >> reporter: dangerous winds blasted across the country on tuesday. in casper, wyoming, gusts topping more than 80 miles per hour swept blinding snow across highways and parking lots. it's not the wind, snow. in neighboring south and north dakota, people are shoveling and scraping, following a christmas day blizzard. even four wheel drive vehicles are no match against the massive snow drifts. >> well, gettinged aredy to go to work, and got about 15 feet and that was it. it's very crazy out here. >> reporter: a state of emergency was declared in south dakota after tens of thousands lost power. crews from minnesota and iowa have been called in to help restore service. he's been helping neighbors move out. >> moving snow for people and helping people get unstuck and just doing what i can. it's not easy to live in this kind of weather. >> reporter: nearly two feet of snow fell in minot. the city's airport reopened on tuesday after a day and a half of canceled flights leaving several stranded passengers on standby. >> i'm hoping there's a bunch of people that don't show up so i can get on there and get going. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," tony dokoupil. there was a second night of violence in malls around the country last night. a brawl broke out at the philadelphia mills mall involving a crowd of teenagers. officers arrested four people. no one was hurt. and a mall in appleton, wisconsin, was evacuated after reports of an active shooter. it turned out to be a false alarm. fights were reported in more than a dozen malls on the day after christmas. at this time the incidents do not seem to be connected. >> disturbing. police in arkansas think that an amazon echo holds key evidence in a murder case. ahead, amazon responds to what may be an unprecedented request for data from a suspect's virtual assistant. an 8-year-old's mother says the cub scouts kicked him out because he is transgender. >> he had just gotten stronger and stronger with his personality in saying i'm not a girl. i'm a boy. >> ahead, the decision that could start a new debate over identity issues. the news is back in the morning right here on "cbs this morning." un-stop right there! i'm about to pop a cap of "mmm fresh" in that washer with unstopables in-wash scent boosters by downy. and if you want, pour a little more, because this scent lasts for 12 weeks, which is longer than any relationship i've ever been in. right, freshness for weeks! unstopables by downy. for a fresh too feisty to quit. to live a life that's full.want full of a happiness found in living the life i want. full of the energy that comes with good health. full of the great foods i love. and at weight watchers, i don't have to choose between weight loss and living well. i live well, while losing weight. it is easier than it's ever been, and not one day have i felt deprived. most important, it works! join for free now and lose 10 pounds on us. fortified.tored. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin 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(whisper) rocket i will nevi wnevereverair again. wash my hair again now, i fuel it new pantene doesn't just wash your hair, it fuels it. with the first pro-v nutrient blend, making every... ...strand stronger don't just wash your hair fuel it fuel your hair. because strong is beautiful. christmas shopping at a hayward good morning, it's 7:26. i'm kenny choi. one of two men accused of fatally stabbing a father while he was christmas shopping at a hayward target store heads to court today. police say that tyrone griffin was killed on friday after he told one of the suspects to turn down his music. three earthquakes between magnitude 5.7 and 5.8 rattled hawthorne nevada overnight. they were felt as far away as fresno and lake tahoe. no major damage reported. coming up next on "cbs this morning," as princess leia, she helped destroy evil. but actress carrie fisher's off screen battles were no less dramatic. jamie yuccas explains. traffic and weather in just a moment. ,,,,,,,, traffic and weather... in just a moment. good morning. time to look at your local traffic. starting with mass transit, bart is on time. ace train 3, 5 and 7 on time. muni express buses most will not be running this week and a lot of updates for sf bay ferry. 7:35 a.m. out of oakland will be delayed 10 to 15 minutes. 7:45 out of alameda delayed 10 to 15 minutes. 8:05 from san francisco to alameda and oakland delayed 10 minutes. this is all due to mechanical problems. i'll send it to you. >> all right, roqui. thank you. good morning, everybody. rise and shine! take a look at this. it's beautiful. it's the golden gate bridge in all of its glory as we can see from sutro tower looking north. north bay temperatures have been cold this morning, 29 right now in santa rosa. it's nearly freezing in redwood city. it is freezing in livermore throughout much of the tri- valley. frosty start to your day on a warmer day 50s and 60s. oh, yes. 66 santa cruz today, 70 tomorrow. ,,,,,,,, ♪ when he has been delivered safely to my forces you get your reward. you have my guarantee. >> what is the loyal droid carrying that is so blasted important? >> the plans and specifications to a battle station with enough fire power to destroy an entire system. our only hope in destroying it -- >> now you know how carrie fisher made it into "star wars." that is her actual audition tape for the first movie in the saga. it is getting a lot of views this morning after fans learned of her death at age 60. >> wow. she was good from the very beginning. >> she is good. >> from jump. >> absolutely. >> i like the articulation on that. welcome back to "cbs this morning." coming up this half hour, carrie fish fisher's inspiring role as a mental health advocate. she talks openly about her own struggles of bipolar disorder. >> can police search an amazon echo for evidence that could help convict a man of murder? erin moriarty will explain the case and the data your assistant could be holding. that is ahead. time to show you some of the morning's headlines from around the globe. the head of russia's anti-doping agency told "the new york times" that drug cheating by russian athletes was an institutional conspiracy. but the agency said this morning that the remark was taken out of context. now, investigators prove that russian officials gave russian athletes performance enhancing st substances and covered it up. vladimir putin denies in in higher-ups were involved. "the washington post" reports on what americans get for spending more on health care than any other country. last year we spent $3.2 trillion. the top health expenses in 2013 were for chronic diseases. americans spent the most on diabetes, followed by heart disease, and neck and back pain. "wall street journal" describes the huge task facing wells fargo. the scandal ridden bank. early estimates show there were more than 2 million unwanted accounts. wells fargo plans to pay compensation and it's identifying people who paid too much for mortgages or couldn't get loans because of bad credit. bank workers opened the account for meet unrealistic sales numbers. "the san francisco chronicle" has dash cam video showing tesla's autopilot predicting a collision. you can hear the tesla model x there beeping before that crash in front of the car in the netherlands. the tesla driver said the car started braking before he could do it himself. the car's radar saw the collision unfold ago few cars ahead. the video is apparently one of the very first examples of tesla's autopilot possibly saving lives. thankfully, no one in that crash was seriously hurt. carrie fisher is being praised this morning as a tireless mental health advocate. the actress who died yesterday openly talked about her bipolar disorder, bouts with addiction and her body image issues. jamie yuccas shows us how fisher's honestly helped reduce the stigma for millions of americans with similar problems. >> reporter: good morning. carrie fisher displayed many of the same qualities that made princess leia so memorable. fierce, feisty and funny and used her star power to clear away some of the shame and fear around mental health issues. >> i should have expected to find you holding the leash. i recognized your foul stench when i was brought on board. >> reporter: the role that made carrie fisher a cultural icon also led to a life of drug and alcohol abuse. >> i don't trust lando. >> reporter: when this scene was intermediate, fisher told "the daily beast" she and harrison ford were still drunk. >> you're as near as gone, aren't you? the thing about drug addiction is the look you people on people's faces. >> reporter: she told charlie rose in 2009. >> i want to be a good role model. in some of the ways i'm a good role model what have not to do, which would be pills, et cetera. >> reporter: fisher wrote about her parting ways in her books like "postcards from the edge" which became a movie starring merle streep and one-woman show "wishful drinking." >> if i could isolate the pain just to my [ bleep ], it would be fantastic! >> reporter: steven galloway, executive features editor at the hollywood reporter says fisher often confronted her personal demons with humor. >> if my life wasn't funny, it would just be true. >>. pops the bubble and demystifies it, and it makes it much more manageable as a problem for other people. >> reporter: fisher spoke openly about having bipolar disorder and undergoing electric shock therapy. >> it's humiliating. you've lost control. you're not out of your mind. you can't get out. >> reporter: she also disclosed she had body miss more fee a. she wade only 1 on 5 pounds and told to lose ten more when cast as princess leia. >> even in space, women are -- you know, there is a double standard. >> reporter: that frankness won over admirers beyond her "star wars" fan base. >> you declare something, it has less power over you. far less. my liabilities are my assets. i mean, i have made a living of writing about my liabilities until they are mine. >> reporter: in her final column for "the guardian" newspaper published last month she gave advice to someone who is bipo r bipolar. think of it as an opportunity to be heroic and a good example of others who might share our disorder. >> jamie yuccas, thanks. investigators in arkansas are making what could be a first of its kind request. they have a search warrant for data from an amazon echo. james bates is charged with murdering a man in his home last year. he has pleaded together to the charges. investigators, though, have asked amazon to hand over, qo quote, audio recordings, transcribed record. it may contain evidence related to this investigation, including time stamps and audio files. "48 hours" correspondent erin moriarty is digging into this. >> reporter: i didn't come alone. i brought my echo. this is alexa. it's a small computer. it uses voice recognition software. normally, this is not set up with a wi-fi here but when i'm at home, i can say alexa, what is the weather in manhattan today? or -- >> she is talking! >> all right. right here where you have this issue. now, she's on all the time but she is not recordings, supposedly. >> supposedly is the question. >> unless i use the hot word, alexa but she is kind of malfunctioning here. >> do police simply believe they can play back a recordings of the murder they allege happen in that home? >> no, they don't think that. in fact, when she is operating, she is only picking up snippets. one of the reason, so far, amazon has turned down this request, even though there is a search warrant, is because, right now, it appears that prosecutors are kind of on a fishi fishing expedition. this is a tough case. they say there was a murder and the defense says this was an accident. the deceased man was way overweight and found in a hot tub dead and some injuries but the defense said he tried to get out. he also had three times the normal alcohol count, blood alcohol count. so they are saying it's an accident. so the prosecutors are looking for anything, real physical evidence that can show that there was some kind of intent. so they think this was being used during the night, supposedly, to stream music. that is what the prosecution says, and so they are seeing if it picked up any sound, like oh, my god! or something like that that might put it over toward a murder. >> amazon is fighting this request here. they disclosed to us that they are not going to release customer information without a binding and legal demand and they object to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demand. >> well, but that means that they might in the future. what they are saying -- >> they are claiming the grounds for another legal case. >> they are saying that search warrant was -- to tell us what you want doesn't sound like the prosecution really knows. can i just tell you? this is really not the problem in this case for the defendant. the real problem is this is a man who had a lot of these what they are called iot devices. >> in his house. >> yeah. he had a nest thermometer but his real problem is this water meter. a smart water meter and that is a problem at trial for him. so the prosecution is saying that he used an unusual amount of water in the early morning hours of the day the man was found and the prosecution is saying he was cleaning up. they are saying the clock was wrong and he was actually filling his hot tub 12 hours earlier. >> wow. fascinating case. erin, thank you very much. >> thanks. the boy scouts are on the defensive about banning a transgender 8-year-old. ahead, why the family says the organization changed its mind after the child joined. we invite you to join our on "cbs this morning" podcast. get the news of the day and podcast originals. find them on itunes and apple's podcast app. we will be right back. on my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. so i made a decision to talk to my dermatologist about humira. humira works inside my body to target and help block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to my symptoms. in clinical trials, most adults taking humira were clear or almost clear, and many saw 75% and even 90% clearance in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask about humira, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists. clearer skin is possible. but there's so much more to it. here's how benefiber® works. inside us are trillions of good microflora that support digestive health. the prebiotic fiber in benefiber® nourishes them... and what helps them, helps you. clear, taste-free, benefiber®. justice is spelled b-o-x. say hello to a powerful tool that gives you options to fit your budget. ♪ oh, i'm tied to this chair! ♪ dun-dun-daaaa! i don't know that an insurance-themed comic book is what we're looking for. did i mention he can save people nearly $600? 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(avo) the subaru share the love event has donated over four million dollars to help the national parks. get a new subaru, and we'll donate two hundred and fifty dollars more. ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ the boy scouts of america faces new questions after ban ago child over his gender identity. 8-year-old joe maldonado who was born a girl and identifies as a boy now was removed from his new jersey cub scout troop. joe's family says parents of other children are complained. errol barnett spoke with joe and his mother. >> reporter: good morning. joe maldonado's mother said the organization already knew her son was transgender when she signed him up for the cub sco s scouts. but the boy scouts of america is telling them he is not welcome. >> did you get everything you want for christmas? >> actually, not. >> reporter: joe maldonado is just like any other 8-year-old. >> i got two points. >> reporter: but joe was born a girl. so as a parent, how do you know that you don't just have a girl who is a tomboy and -- transgender issue? >> for a couple of years i didn't know it. >> reporter: he was born jody but been known as boy for over a year. why did you want to join the cub scouts? >> because my friends was there. >> reporter: he is part of boy scouts in new jersey but was recently removed over his recently gender which is female. what do you think of that reasoning? >> i -- i don't know. >> reporter: and they knew full well he was not born a boy? >> they all know joe as when he was jody. >> reporter: in a statement, the boy scouts of america defended its actions, saying, in part, no youth may be removed from any of our programs on the basis of his or her sexual orientation. but added, gender identity isn't related to sexual orientation. in recent years, the boy scouts have reversed bans on gay scouts and scout leaders, but this incident could spark a new debate. >> this one hit home. >> reporter: joe mom says the messages she has received around the world is overwhelming. >> i'm a scout leader here in the uk and would love him to be a member of our troop. >> reporter: how does it feel to receive that kind of support from another scout group in another country? >> it's beautiful. it's beautiful. >> reporter: the boy scouts of america says its programs are for those who identified as boys on their birth certificates. the organization tells us it offered the family alternative coed programs for joe but his mother told me she snoed intere is not interested and wants an apology for joe. >> it's tough for a kid that age who just wants to belong. >> you see public opinion, i know in your piece say it's already coming. that will carry the day here. >> the mother wants to do what makes her child happy. isn't about anything other than that. >> errol, thanks. >> sure. one scale you don't normally see in the nba. hate hai ahead, a houston rookie shows off that. first, it's time to check your local weather. announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by toyota. let's go places. you got a great deal during toyotathon! enjoy the low apr financing. what a deal. better hurry. last chance of the year. noooooooooo! you made it just in time! it's the final days of toyotathon. right now during toyotathon get 0% apr financing on over ten select models. offer ends january 3rd. for great deals on other toyotas, visit toyota.com. here you go. the toyota of your dreams. this is real. toyota. let's go places. only abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. it penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. abreva. what's the best way to get v8 or a fancy juice store?s? 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>> they're saying if it picked up any sound, like, oh, my god, that might put it over toward a murder. >> little girl waited to receive her christmas gift only to have the star of the show go rogue. >> there's nothing in here. >> i'm margaret brennan here with vladimir duthier and josh elliott, charlie, gayle and norah are off. >> carrie fisher's fans are celebrating her work and her spirit this morning. the "star wars" heroine and best-selling author died yesterday at age 60. fisher suffered a heart attack friday on a flight from london to los angeles. >> anthony daniels who played c3po in "star wars" said, i thought what i got what i wanted under the tree, i didn't. a i am very, very sad. seth mcfarlane called fisher smart, funny, talented, surprising and always a hell of a fun time to be around. and george takei wrote, may her soul rest in peace as we return her to the heavens in a galaxy far, far away. tony, good morning to you. you wrote in a piece last year describing carrie fisher, the "star wars" trilogy, that defined our generation, you said to our jurisdiction, 40 years later. what was about it when we were kids that blew us away about carrie fisher's portrayal of princess leia. >> i date myself, i guess. >> i do that every day. >> i turned 11 the year we call episode 4, a new hope, then just calle eed "star wars" came out. it was the pop culture moment of our generation, but i think carrie fisher in particular princess leia who was, she had this combination of sort of charm and loveliness and spunk and grit, a fighter, a rebel, she and harrison ford have this great screwball comedy rapport going and she was just, i think, for boys as well as for girls who were watching who were become "star wars" fans at that moment, just the thing that really set that movie apart and made it kind of as special, as fun as it was. >> it was interesting ing as shs talking about princess leia, iconic status of a role, hard mantle for so many actresses to carry. she loved her and continued to love her until the day she passed. >> i think so. she said in a recent interview in "rolling stone" that she loved princess leia. princess leia was feisty. princess leia killed jabba the hut. people might remember what princess leia had to wear when she was -- but she got her revenge. >> i'm interested, i didn't know until i was reading about her passing that she had this whole other history as a writer, not just of books, but also a script doctor. >> she was -- she fixed movies, including some of the big blockbusters of the '80s and '90s. i think her legacy, obviously, we remember princess leia, this great iconic role and this pop culture fixture she was, but she was a terrific writer, very funny, very honest. i think she was really a pioneer in turning some of the more painful experiences of her life with addiction, with bipolar disorder, into humorous, frank, writing. both novels and memoirs. >> is that what she brought to the script she would touch? >> i suspect so. you never know whose fingerprints are wear, but i think that a human element and a feminist element, you know, that a lot of the sort of the toughness and the candor and brassiness and humor that we see in women in pop culture today, i think she has an influence on a lot of that. >> eighth in action movies and also in comedy and -- >> that's what i was going to ask you. we loved her as princess leia. some of her iconic roles in "the blues brothers," "shampoo," my personal favorite, "when harry met sally", somebody looking at you, and personal growth, and those little lines that she delivered with great timing. >> she was a great comic actress, really, really funny. also there is a particular episode of "30 rock" she plays this wild legendary tv writer who is liz lemon's role model and difficult collaboration and she's just hilarious in that. and any, you know, there is an archive of great interviews and moments she had amazing twitter feed that was, you know, always funny and spiky and kind of dorothy parker like. so really it -- unfortunately it takes sometimes someone passing on suddenly and prematurely to make you realize just how influential they were. and how far it goes beyond just that picture that we're all looking at with the, you know, the -- >> the buns. >> i got to interview her this year, really briefly, and i was barely able to conduct the interview. but i got a kiss at the end of it and that's me with her. and it was a moment that, you know, we interviewed presidents and dignitaries, but this, for me, icing on the cake. >> and her little pup. >> gary. she loved gary. >> tony, really appreciate you coming on. thank you so much. >> always nice to be here. 75 years after the attack on pearl harbor, prime minister shinzo abe became the first japanese leader to officially visit the "uss arizona" memorial. president obama joined the prime minister to honor the more than 2,000 americans who were killed on december 7th, 1941. >> the japanese prime minister offered his, quote, sincere and ever lasting condolences. president obama said the sacrifices remind us to seek the divine spark that is common to all humanity. >> 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. we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different. >> the war that began for the u.s. at pearl harbor ended after the u.s. dropped atomic bombs on hiroshima and nagasaki in 1945. the ceremony mirrored president obama's trip there in may when he became the first sitting u.s. president to visit hiroshima. both men embraced survivors of the attacks. neither issued an official apology for the attacks that killed the other citizens. but the symbolic and historical visits served as another chapter in the reconciliation between the now two very close allies. president-elect donald trump gives himself the credit for rising economic indicators. mr. trump tweeted last night that the u.s. consumer confidence index for december surged nearly 4 points to 113.7. the highest level in more than 15 years. thanks, donald. his tweet was based on numbers from the conference board, a private economic forecasting group. the group's director of economic indicators confirmed the post election surge and optimism for the economy, jobs and income prospects. she said it was most pronounced among older consumers. the president-elect earlier took credit for christmas spending. he said it surpassed a trillion dollars. the number appears to come from a dloit survey projecting holiday sales from november through january. future sales. that survey was released back in october, before the election, and it pointed to improving household finances and economic progress. 2016 was yet another big year for high tech. for first time, you could buy snapchat glasses and apple wireless earbuds. ahead, nick thompson looks back at the year's big trends and what to expect in 2017. driverless cars are coming for us all. james tayloras james taylor sold around 100 million records and now he also has a kennedy center honor. >> i often did wonder if they would ever tap me for it. >> you're, like, hello, james taylor here. hello. >> i thought suddenly that i might -- >> i sing fire and rain. >> remember me? you got a friend? >> ahead, the man who is called the first superstar of the 1970s finds new ways to make music. you're watching "cbs this morning." ,,,,,,,,,,,, the tech industry saw many ups and downs. the power of hackers was seen during the presidential election of all things and fashion fused with technology to produce nike's self-lacing shoes. >> really? >> what are we doing for ourselves anymore? >> cbs news contributor nicholas thompson, editor of "the new yorker magazine's" website, he is good enough to join us. >> self-lacing loafers this morning. >> as we hurdle towards world of wall-e, you said your moment of the year for the tech industry was the showdown between the fbi and apple may have been looming for some time, but we really finally saw it. >> that was an incredible story. i remember the san bernardino shooter's phone, the fbi wanted access to it. normally government can say give us the phone, the tech companies comply. this time they wanted april t e help build software and they said no, and the whole industry joined in and said absolutely not and a battle royal went on for weeks. >> until they found a way around it. >> until they got into it. what happened since then -- >> a de facto presencedent. >> it changed the way companies think about encryption. the fbi isn't so thrilled about. but you've seen a fight between silicon valley and the guy at the center is somebody we got to know later, james comey. the world was introduced to james comey then. an interesting battle. >> the other big story for me was facebook and fake news. and yesterday there was an activation of a safety check feature after some news came out about a bombing in bangkok and news out of bangkok and they're saying they activated this now. is that a story going forward, more fake news and how people realize whether it is true or not? >> the story yesterday is perfect. facebook has done this good thing, safety check, very useful after disaster. it turned out yesterday there was a small problem in bangkok and all the fake stories added as a big problem and created this mess. so facebook was kind of trolled by its own fake news. so then the question is, what is facebook going to do about fake news? they launched a bunch of initiatives to start combatting the problem. i think the company will make it a massive priority for next year. i think they were a little slow understanding what was going on. after the election, after they have seen the consequences of it, not just the election, but the sense we're living in a post truth world, facebook will work very hard to counter it. >> is it also facebook fundamentally reassessing itself, mark zuckerberg said, work not a media company, we're a tech company. it seems more difficult argument to make by the day. >> kind of amazing. facebook had no interest in becoming a media company. now they own the news, right? they accidentally acquired the media. now they have to figure out what to do. they did not get into this. any noticed people are sharing the news in the news feed. and, in fact, all of the traffic for these websites comes from facebook, guess we have a responsibility. so they're dealing with that now. >> it feels like technology was sort of caught on the defensive this year. playing catch-up to the hackers. we're even seeing that in our political life now. is there any sort of proactive move here for the new year where we're not vulnerable to hackers, but have the foot forward. >> such an interesting year. at one point, the five biggest companies in the world were silicon valley tech companies. they're growing so fast, doing so well, the fastest growing companies are also technology companies. amazing year. a lot of good products. most of the big stories about tech were about hackers, about disasters. so, yes, it is going to be this constant battle of catch-up, constant crisis after crisis. but also amazing innovation underlying it that benefits us in ways we don't always notice. >> here we are. >> innovation benefits us. >> or some people say the innovation that renders humans obsolete, passive. the wall-e world. >> driverless cars, yes or no? >> absolutely. are we going to have them? sort of. do we want them? yes. >> sort of. >> speak for yourself, nick thompson. we appreciate it. most hospital patients look forward to visitors. probably not as much as this little guy. what a surprise from an nfl star. that's next. i just snapped a photo and got an estimate in 24 hours. my insurance company definitely doesn't have that... you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™ liberty mutual insurance ...ad, and my sweethearts handsome,gone sayonara.rance... this scarf, all that's left to remember. what! she washed this like a month ago! how's a guy supposed to move on! the long lasting scent of gain flings. try theraflu expressmax,nd flu hold you back now in new caplets. it's the only cold & flu caplet that has a maximum strength formula with a unique warming sensation you instantly feel. theraflu. for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caple. ♪ what is going on, buddy? how are you doing? you doing all right? >> yeah. >> hey! you doing good? >> if that doesn't warm your heart, i don't know what will. 10-year-old austin deckert shared a big hug with his favorite football player, former auburn great cam newton. he was at an atlanta hospital yet to see austin. his teacher posted on social media that he wanted to meet his favorite player, cam newton. >> cam newton has had a tough year but this is the heart of his work. >> silicon valley wants the kid four men are under arrest in solano county after a chop shop bust. deputies found eleven stolen vehicles... some being dismantl good morning. it's8:25. four men are under arrest in solano county after a chop shot bust. deputies found 11 stolen vehicles, some being dismantled, on a property on ramsey road in fairfield. one of the two men accused of fatally stabbing a father while he was christmas shopping with his son at a heart target store heads to court today. police say tyrone griffin was killed friday after he asked one of the suspects to turn down music on his cell phone. coming up on "cbs this morning" a conversation with grammy winner and kennedy center honoree james taylor. traffic and weather in just a moment. ,,,,,,,,,, good morning. it's 8:27. before we get to your "holiday light" roads let's check mass transit. we have a capitol corridor delay train 527 running 18 minutes late but bart, ace train, muni and caltrain are on time. express buses for muni are not running for a holiday schedule. slow traffic at the altamont pass, trouble along the altamont pass all morning long due to two earlier crashes. both have been moved off the roads but you're traveling at just 36 miles an hour once you hit north flynn road. traveling across the span of the san mateo bridge once you get past the high-rise into foster city there's a stalled car block the right lane. otherwise just a quick 14- minute commute across the way there. if you are traveling into downtown san francisco, you are looking good as well along the bay bridge toll plaza. i'll send it to you. >> it is a postcard picture- perfect day today. visibility is unlimited. the air is crisp but sure is cold out the door but look at the beautiful view from sutro tower looking towards the golden gate bridge this morning. air temperature from 28 in santa rosa the coldest it's been all morning to 45 degrees in san francisco. it's freezing in throughout the tri-valley. frost in the santa clara valley. coldest temperatures so far this week in oakland through berkeley and alameda as well going up to highs today warmer than what it's been all week. temperatures in the 50s. now the other side 6 is 60 degrees in santa rosa. offshore winds 10 to 15. 66 santa cruz today. 70 tomorrow. then colder and rainy beginning friday. once i heard i was going to be a park ranger, i got really excited. gabe's obviously really sick. and there's a lot that he isn't able to do, and make-a-wish stepped in. we had to climb up the mountain to get the injured hiker. he fell from, like, a rock. he's been the one that has been rescued so many times. he said to me, "today, i got to be the hero." (avo) the subaru share the love event has helped grant the wishes of over twelve hundred kids so far. get a new subaru, and we'll donate two hundred and fifty dollars more to help those in need. ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ ♪ that is yankees stadium! house that ruth built is transformed into a football between the pinstripes bowl between northwestern and pitt. coming up in this half hour, a california dad creates a play space where neighborhood children can take risks and make their own rules. not all of their parents are on board, though. see why the kid like it and why some experts think a little danger is actually good for them. >> a lot to get to there! boy. plus, james taylor recent ref released his first collection of songs in 13 years. he is one of the kennedy center honorees. how called empty time helps him form ideas for all of those songs. time to show you some of the morning's headlines from around the globe. "wall street journal" says the government is investigating two car models made by ford. some ford fusions and mercury mil milan's are losing brake pressure and the problem brought 140 complaints and blamed for three crashes. nearly 500,000 cars in the 2007 to 2009 model years could be affected. >> "usa today" report that the big one is coming. the united states will have a total solar eclipse in 2017 on august 21st. the moon will completely block the sun. it hasn't happened since 1979 and i hate to admit it. >> you made an oatmeal box camera there? >> another story for another time. the "los angeles times" says old rule might save the rose parade from getting rained off. it's never held on sunday due to an old rule keeping church services from being disrupted. a creative dad in the bay area is pushing back against helicopter parenting. he has created what he calls a playb playborhood and kids can bounce around, take risks, and what do you know? some parents don't like it. john blackstone visited the p y playborhood of how they are making their way there after. >> reporter: the backyard and driveway fill up with kid after school is over. it's a place neighborhood kids can play freely. so freely, some parents might find it alarming. some element of risk is okay? >> some element of risk is okay. i want kids to push themselves and i want them to try things and have fun. let's face it. there is no fun with all of this safety stuffed around. >> reporter: lanza wants kids to have so much fun they will choose this over electronic gadgets and games. you're an app developer and in silicon valley telling the kids to get off the screens and have fun? this 8-year-old colin miller begged to get here. what would you be doing things if you warranty doineren't doin? the thrill of danger keeps 7 yered brooke breitenstein coming back. >> when i jump down, it's like, woo. then it felt like i landed on a cloud instead of getting really hurt. >> reporter: lanza who has a masters degree in education wrote a book about how playborhoods can become an activity for kids. at his house, any neighborhood parent can drop off a child to play. you can imagine a parent coming into the backyard for the first time seeing a kid on the top of the two story play house back there. >> they didn't start that yesterday. they have been working up for that a while. they learned how to do it safely. >> reporter: some experts think he is on to something. ashley merryman has found free play with an element of risk teaches life important skills. >> in fact, research has actually shown that kids who spent more time in unstructured play as children were higher in creativity as adults. had you to problem solve. you can't predict what is happening. >> reporter: 10-year-old jack craves this type of freedom. his mom? she supports lanza's vision. >> sure. he could language wrong and break his leg on the trampoline. we will deal with that if that happens, you know? i was jumping out of tree houses as a kid. i don't think it's unusual. >> i think it's important to have some faith that your kids are not crazy lunatics, that kids actually don't want to get hurt and, yes, they may want to show off, but, ultimately, they don't want to have a broken bone. >> reporter: you don't want parents to think that their kids are crazy lunatic. because somebody think you're a crazy lunatic? >> maybe. >> reporter: melanie thermstrom used to let her kids visit the playborhood. >> my kid are reckless and i see it as my job to shut that down. >> reporter: her children revealed they had been playing on the roof. not of the play house but atop lanza's multistory going by going through the attic. >> can we go in the attic? >> why don't you stay outside today, okay. >> reporter: lanza told us playing on the roof hardly ever happens. and when the lanza's are now at home, kids are stillwoman to use the playborhood. you're not concerned some kid is going to get hurt and you'll face a lawsuit some day? >> hey, anything can happen. the other part of the ledger what are the probability that our kid are going to have a wonderful life and fun childhood? i'll take those odds any day. >> reporter: kids may love lanza's playborhood for a risk of parents, it requires a leap of faith. for "cbs this morning," john blackstone, manlo park, california. >> so much to get to here. you kids, would -- you're from california. >> yes. >> look. you fight the fight every day with the tablets and wonder what it's doing and -- i worry about problem solving. i like the central idea here isn't the dangerous aspect of it. the idea that they have to learn to function for themselves, to problem solve and, you know, not get hurt doing it, i suppose. but i can imagine an insurance companies watching that saying is that our guy? >> james taylor had a long and successful career but don't get the idea he is finished. ahead, how he is,, (my hero zero by lemonheads) zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event. his influence in our lives goes way beyond his contribution to the american song book because for five decade, his melodys and lyrics have literally become seams in the fabric of our national life. >> former president bill clinton praising james taylor during the kennedy center honors that aired on cbs last night. the five-time foreagrammy winne honored in a career lasting half a century. taylor shows norah o'donnell how he works best. alone in the middle of the wood. ♪ >> s♪ ♪ no one can tell me i'm doing wrong ♪ >> away from the bright lights and crowded arenas, james taylor spends most days in the serenity of the berkshires. so do you stay up here in the winter when all of the snow -- >> yeah. oh, yeah, we have been up here the past dozen years. maybe 13, 14 years. >> reporter: most of the songs for his latest album, "before this world," recorded in this home studio. ♪ >> reporter: this was your first collection in 13 years. >> yeah. it has been a long time. >> reporter: the music was always there. taylor only needed the time to reach it. >> what i found most recently is that i have to sequester myself away for as much as a week at a time and that is what seemed to work. it takes a couple of days of empty time before ideas start to show up. >> reporter: what is empty time? >> there used to be this thing called boredom. it pretty much has been eradicated and doesn't exist any more. but it turns out a lot of things got done when you were bored. growing up in north carolina, you know, we had a lot of empty time. ♪ in my mind i'm going to carolina ♪ >> you see yourself as one thing or another. you sort of pretend that you're a songwriter and then it turns out you were. >> reporter: take me back to james taylor. >> i had been in new york with this band in new york named the flying machine, for lack of a better name. it turned out there was another flying machine that was doing better than we were, so, you know, this flying machine crashed and burned. i went back down to north carolina to lick my wounds. i had a heroin habit. i weighed about, you know, 89 pounds and looked like a deck chair in a high wind. my dad came in. he heard my voice on the phone and he said, you stay there, james. i'm going to come get you. he and my brother hugh drove up the coast and moved all of my meager belongings back down to north carolina. i sat around there for about six months and talked my folks into buying me a ticket to go to london and to visit a friend of mine over there. >> you were the first artist, right, to sign with the beatles label? >> uh-huh. it was -- it was an amazing stroke of good luck. and it got that first album, you know, for all of its rough edges and faults, it got that first album recorded. it got me noticed a little bit. ♪ something in the way she moved ♪ >> reporter: the earliest reviews of your work was noteworthy. i think you were described as the first superstar of the '70s. your music was called "the coolest breath of fresh air." >> i don't know. you're saying all this stuff, but yeah. . >> reporter: taylor's first album "sweet baby james" delivered his first top ten hit. ♪ i've seen fire and i've seen rain ♪ i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end ♪ >> reporter: the next year, he landed on the cover of "time" magazine as the face of new rock. >> that really was -- got people's attention, particularly my family and my friends, and my, you know, the culture at large. "time" magazine was still a really big deal and, yeah, that was -- that was a big change. ♪ good night moonlight ladies >> reporter: one of the writers described your look as a cowboy jesus. when you look at those pictures. >> at least people are more creative than i am. you know? >> reporter: and you're a songwriter. >> yeah. >> reporter: how does that description strike you? you're in a bar and you see all of the pictures, you know? >> yeah. i don't know. i thought i was trying to look like george harrison. ♪ and you need some love and care ♪ >> reporter: nearly all of taylor's songs are personal and heartfelt reflections. ♪ nothing was going right >> reporter: but his first and only single to top billboard's hot 100 was written by his friend carole king. ♪ you got a friend >> reporter: we talked about "you got a friend." she said he showed me the confidence. he completely mentored me as a performer. a really beautiful tribute. >> that's a lovely thing to say. yeah. carole was a huge talent. she is genuine. she is very genuine. >> reporter: you've sold a hundred million records. >> that's -- i've heard that figure bounced about. that's hard to believe. it's a lot of records. >> reporter: yeah. and lots of grammys. and now the kennedy center honors. >> james, we salute you. we love you. and we want you to know in all of us, you've got a friend. >> reporter: what does it mean to you? >> i've been part of this event so many times in the past. i often did wonder whether or not that they would ever tap me for it. >> reporter: you're like, hello, james taylor here. hello! >> i thought, suddenly -- >> reporter: i've seen fire and rain! >> that's right. remember me? you got a friend? yeah. ♪ i want to stop and thank you baby ♪ >> reporter: of course, i'm honored. i'm very glad, as it turns out, that i get to do it in the company of my favorite president barack obama. people, in general, when they hear about the kennedy center honors, that really seems to get people's attention. so it gives me -- i think it has given me a certain amount of -- ♪ how sweet it is to be loved by you ♪ but joo but earning a rainbow ribbon doesn't mean taylor's work is behind him. at 68, he is still discovering new ways to make music. >> it's very echoey. as you can see. >> oh, my goodness. >> he modified this shipping container and moved it next to his home studio to create a natural echo while recording. how would you describe that echo? >> it does. it gives it seriousness and makes it heroic. >> reporter: the aqua duct reverb chamber as he named it even earned the notes "this world." taylor's last album and his first to reach number one. "rolling stone" gave "before the world" four and a half stars and says the songs represent a sweet grown-up james. do you agree? >> ah! yeah. i guess they do. they must. you know as up as i'm going to grow, i think. >> favorite j.t. song? >> j.t., huh? >> i know. >> "how sweet it is." it was what we were saying before about the playborhood, boredom, innovation, inspiration for him. >> you are watching "cbs this morning." we will be right back. ,,,,,,,,,, ♪ it's been a good run, you two. >> it's been fun. >> been great. >> that does it for us. be sure to tune,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a city lot - are being asked to park e good morning, it's 8:55. i'm julie watts. in san jose, overworked police officers sleeping in rvs on a city lot are being asked to park elsewhere. with cirque du soleil heading to the property, cops are being asked to relocate the rvs to a different city-owned lot. today in san francisco a new menorah will replace the one stolen from washington square on christmas eve. it was set up next to the christmas tree. by sunday it was gone. and a very noisy post- christmas tradition gets under way today in san francisco's civic center. dozens of christmas trees will be fed through a wood chipper starting at 10:30. traffic coming up in just a moment. but first, a check of the forecast with roberta. >> i like that idea with the trees but i always get the boy scouts. the boy scouts take it away and give them a little bit of a tip there. good morning, we have blue skies, unlimited visibility from telegraph hill. there you have pioneer park under coit tower where currently our air temperatures are been cold. in fact, we have not seen a rise in our numbers for the last 3 hours. santa rosa in fact you have gotten even colder at 28 degrees. freezing in vallejo, napa, sonoma, concord, clayton and walnut creek. livermore, as well. 33 degrees in fremont. mid-30s in san jose as well as in redwood city. 40s at the coast where today's high is topping off in the 50s. warmer today than all week. the other side of 60 degrees now in santa rosa. northeast winds offshore five to 15. yes, i'm going there. outside number 66 in santa cruz. bested by 70 for the last time this year tomorrow in santa cruz. and then clouding up and cooler and rainy beginning friday. roqui with traffic next. good morning. okay. if you are heading into palo alto, here's a look at a crash northbound 101 at embarcadero road. it's a three-car crash blocking the two left lanes. and there's already a two-mile backup as you can see cars moving at just 9 miles per hour. wayne: yeah! jonathan: it's a new bedroom! tiffany: $15,000! wayne: we're gonna play 0 to 80. - (screaming) wayne: you ready to make a deal? - absolutely! jonathan: it's a new hot tub! faster, wow! - give me that box! jonathan: it's time for "let's make a deal." now here's tv's big dealer, wayne brady! wayne: what's up, america? this is mega deal week. if you've been with us all week, you've seen how the mega deal plays out. if you haven't and you're just joining us, welcome. if one of these traders wins the big deal of the day, they are then eligible for a shot at the mega deal. what's the mega deal? every single piece of merchandise you see on today's show, worth over $100,000. right now, i need a couple to make my first deal with me.

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