life. some readers saw deeper things in the book about religion, faith and exile and the brutality of life. he insisted it was a story he made up to amuse his young daughters. richard adams, rest in peace. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i turn it over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." may the force be with you. happening now, breaking news. iconic star, actress carrie fisher, known and beloved around the world for her role as princess leia in the "star wars" movies died today. tributes pouring in from celebrities and her many fans. russia's role. president-elect donald trump continues to dismiss the role to russia's cyber hacking played in the presidential election. but republicans john mccain and lindsey graham say the entire u.s. senate disagrees with trump. i'll speak with him in an exclusive interview. and alliance of hope. 75 years after the day of

infamy, japan's prime minister joins president obama for an historic visit to the site of the sneak attack that propelled america into world war ii. we'll hear live this hour from the leaders. wolf blitzer is off today. i am jim sciutto. and you are in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. and we are following breaking news. the deluge of tributes to actress carrie fisher. barely out of her teens when her iconic role as princess leia in "star wars" transformed her into an international star. she struggled with the celebrity, mental illness, drugs and alcohol. she returned to her role last year. she was flying from london to los angeles last week when she

suffered a heart attack. an historic moment of unity between former enemies. standing by for live remarks from president obama and the prime minister of japan. they're visiting the "uss arizona" memorial, the first time a japanese leader has done so, to mark the 75th anniversary of the japanese attack on pearl harbor. our correspondents, analysts and guests are standing by to bring you full coverage of the breaking news as well as all of today's top stories. let's begin with the reaction to today's death of "star wars" actress carrie fisher. cnn's paul vercammen is live in los angeles. paul. >> reporter: i am on hollywood boulevard where people often dress in "star wars" costumes. they observed a moment of silence for carrie fisher earlier. one man dressed as darth vader encapsulated what many of us here say. like so many young men he had a crush on her but carrie fisher was a lot more than just the

princess leia character. >> i should have expected to find you holder his leash. >> reporter: she won the hearts of generations as princess leia, inarguably the most beloved movie franchise ever, "star wars." princess on screen, hollywood royalty off it, with a sharp wit and sharper pen. fisher was born in beverly hills. mother, actress debbie reynolds and father eddie fisher. >> she wrote the novel "postcards from the edge." >> i was writing different takes on obsession. that was sort of the edge. i thought of it in the car one day driving back from palm springs. >> reporter: she turned her book into a movie starring meryl streep as a recovering addict embroiled in constant, often funny, mother-daughter drama. >> remember my 17th birthday party when you lifted your skirt

up in front of all those people. >> it twirled up! >> reporter: she poked fun at show biz light and all manner of self-medication including taking pills to control her emotions. >> any mood stabilizer is a weight gainer. so you feel better, but then you're fat. so what you gain is a loss. it's not a good situation. >> reporter: fisher spoke about being bipolar and often turned pain into humor. also writing "wishful drinking," and "shock-a-hollic." elizabeth taylor became her stepfather. she was briefly married to paul simon and years later gave birth to a daughter billie catherine. she debuted in the film shampoo. in between the "star wars" movies fisher landed a mish-mash of movie roles. some stinkers. under the rainbow. hollywood vice squad.

received praise for "soap dish." and played meg ryan's wise-cracking friend in when harry met salaly. >> nothing could or should loom larger on screen than fisher in "star wars.." >> transported you. it was extraordinary film maker. >> reporter: do you like princess leia? >> she has a little pitchy. >> reporter: years after making "star wars" she wrote a book based on her diaries and revealed an intense affair with harrison ford. it was han and lia during the week and harrison and carrie on the weekend. >> i always felt like i was restricted because i was bigger than life and twice as unpleasant. >> reporter: back here live on

hollywood boulevard, one aspiring actress praising carrie fisher for her bravery saying, because she was so open talking about her addiction and being bipolar perhaps many others also had the courage to discuss such challenges. back to you now, jim. >> for more insights on her career, her impact, we're joined by matthew bellamy and michelle turner. it's great to have you here. nathan, if i could start with you. one of the many impacts, lasting impacts, sara, that carrie fisher will have on our culture is her outspoken advocacy on the issues, mental illness, drug addiction, things she suffered herself. i want to play a brief exchange she had with larry king in 1990. >> you know why you were an addict, carrie? is that explainable?

>> no. well, i don't know. i mean, i think my father is or was one. he just got out of betty ford. i was very like him in my tastes. i liked -- i didn't like illegal drugs. i liked legal drugs. so i liked medicine because i like the philosophy of it. you're going to feel better when you take two or eight of these. >> hmm. >> and i always wanted to feel better. and one of the side effects of percodan is euphoria. i thought that was a side effect that i could easily live with. doesn't matter that the rest of them that follow that are palpitations, heart attack and death. i couldn't get over euphoria. >> are you now over euphoria? >> ha, ha. i am dysphoric now. am i over the need to be -- >> yeah. >> -- euphoric? yeah. or i'll have to find other methods because the route i took led to rehab. but, um, now i just drive with the radio up really loud or do a relaxing talk show when i really

want to feel great and like myself. >> is it day-to-day? kitty dukakis will be with us monday. she ends her book by saying it's still day-to-day difficult. is it that way for you? >> sometimes it can be minute to minute. some of the days are not that difficult and son me are worse. sometimes i want an iv hookup everywhere that i am. but you know, if you can't have it, you just have to sort of put your head down and move through those feelings and hope that you're building the right kind of character. >> sara, nathan, it's pretty a remarkably candid description of the struggles of addiction. >> yeah, absolutely. i think the one thing that is the shining legacy of carrie fisher is that she just was so very honest about her addiction and her struggles, whether she was talking about electric shock therapy. her battles with weight gain after taking prescription pills

and illegal pills, whether she was talking about her battles with debby fisher, she was so honest. i think that really helped so many people. >> michelle, certainly she was vocal on mental health and drug addiction. >> yes. >> but she was also a feminist icon as well. >> yeah. almost an accidental feminist, you know, because princess leia was, for our generation, i think one of the first really kind of, if i could say bad-ass feminist and females roles on film. and the interesting thing was, you know, george lucas wasn't quite sold on whether or not he wanted princess leia to be so in-your-face and strong but that's who carrie fisher was. so that's who she brought to that character and that's what we saw on the screen. then this iconic, immortal character was born for us. i know a lot of little girls -- i was one of them -- looked at princess leia, wanted those buns on my hair and wanted to walk

around with a sword and be tough and strong. she was very much an advocate for feminism and for women. >> a lot of little boys, i can attest, mesmerized by her as well. >> you're right! >> matthew, fisher, she raised a lot of eyebrows last month revealing she had an affair with her costar harrison ford, during her filming of the original "star wars" in 1977, only 19 at the time. what more can you tell us about that and her decision to go public with that almost 40 years later? >> well, it was perfectly in character with who she was. she has been honest and forth right and, you know, has pulled no punches throughout most of her career. she is always outspoken. she was a big tweeter. whenever you would interview her, you could always count on her for a fresh and honest take. she would not be shy about political opinions. she said recently that, if she could use the force, she would

get rid of donald trump. she was not afraid to say what she thought. this admission in her book about her diary was not a surprise. i remember when i saw it, i said, of course she is talking about this now. >> harrison ford, i should mention, just released a statement on fisher's death. i will read from it. he said, carrie was a one-of-a-kind, brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fearless. she lived her life bravely. sara nathan, it gets to her artistic talent but also her outspokenness on the personal issues. >> absolutely. i think the one thing we all loved about her was just that she was so very outspoken. i loved her from when you i was a little girl. we were just saying, you know, you grow up watching her be so outspoken and be so brilliant and be that accidental feminist. in the recent -- i loved watching her recently in a tv

show called "catastrophe." she was her usual self in that. >> nischelle, i am sure fans wonder what effect will this have on the "star wars" franchise. they've reported they already finished filming her role in the installment next year. is that right? can the show go on, in effect, after her passing? >> yes, i think the show can go on. i think it just scements her legacy as we've been talking about as one of the most iconic characters in film history. she kind of took over "star wars." and it was supposed to be luke skywalker, and han solo. but it came princess leia in many respects. i think what this does with her passing is just cements her legacy. the show can go on. she was in "the force awakens," in "rogue one" we didn't see her. i think the show can go on,

definitely. i think it will, but i think there will be a lot of respect paid to and for her in the installments to come. >> we played a clip where she made her most recent installment. being in the theater there, i remember the cheers and applause that came up when she walked on the screen. turning the clock back 40-some-odd years to the audition tape of carrie fisher and harrison ford before the first "star wars." >> the data banks are secure. >> i think we ought to have the reward that you are talking about. i hope it will be substantial considering what we've been through already. >> when r 2 has been safely delivered you get your reward. you have my guarantee. >> what's the little droid carrying that's so blasted important? >> the plans and specifications to a battle station with enough fire power to destroy an entire

system. our only hope to destroying it is to find its weakness. which i stored in r2. we fell under attack before i could get the data to safety, so i hid it in this r2-unit and sent him off. >> now where are you taking us? >> fourth moon. >> i have given the coordinates to chewbacca. >> as you look at that there, you see some of the sass that she brought to life in that performance as princess leia. and keep in mind, she was still a teenager at this point. >> absolutely. she was 19 years old when she was cast. she beat out a number of other young actresses, including jodie foster, who carrie fisher said she thought she would lose the role to. and absolutely the essence of princess leia is there in that audition. george lucas said that, when he saw her, he absolutely knew this was the right person for the character. >> matt melanie, sara nathan,

nischelle turner. thank you for helping us remember this remarkable life and career but also life going through struggle and sharing that struggle. >> absolutely. >> thank you. >> i want to remind our viewers, we're standing by for president obama, who is in japan. you see the japanese prime minister shinzo abe speaking there, this at the memorial for the "uss arizona." president obama will follow him shortly. also ahead, a cnn exclusive. i spoke earlier with senators john mccain and lindsey graham. they are traveling in eastern europe now, right in the middle of the growing struggle with russia. we spreek wieak with them exclu. all this after this break. ♪ see ya next year. this season, start a new tradition. experience the power of infiniti now,

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little straighter every december 7th and we reflect on the heroism shown her 75 years ago. as dawn broke that december day, paradise never seemed so sweet. the water was warm and impossibly blue. sailors ate in the mess hall or readied themselves for church. dressed in crisp white shorts and t-shirts. in the harbor, ships at anchor floated in neat rows. the california, the maryland, and the oklahoma. the tennessee. the west virginia. and the nevada. on the deck of the arizona, the navy band was tuning up.

that morning the ranks on men's shoulders defined them less than the courage in their hearts. across the eisland americans defended themselves however they could. working old bold-action rifles. an african-american mess steward who would typically be confined to cleaning duties carried his commander to safety and then fired an anti-aircraft gun until he ran out of ammo. we honor americans like jim downing, a gunner's mate first class of the west virginia, before he raced to the harbor his new bride pressed into his hand a verse of scripture. the eternal god is thy refuge.

and underneath are the everlasting arms. as jim fought to save his ship, he simultaneously gathered the names of the fallen so that he could give closure to their families. he said it was just something you do. we remember americans like harry payne, a fireman from honolulu, who in the face of withering fire worked to douse burning planes until he gave his last full measure of devotion. one of the only civilian firefighters ever to receive the purple heart. we salute americans like chief petty officer john finn, who manned a .50-caliber machine gun for more than two hours and was wounded more than 20 times, earning him our nation's highest

military decoration, the medal of honor. it is here that we reflect on how war tests our most enduring values, how, even as japanese-americans were deprived of their own liberty during the war, one of the most decorated military units in the history of the united states, the 442nd infantry regiment, it's 100th infantry battalion, the japanese-american nisa. in my regiment served by friend daniel hanoi. a man who was a senator from hawaii for most of my life and with whom i would find myself

proud to serve in the senate chamber. a man who was not only the recipient of the medal of honor and the presidential medal of freedom but was one of the most distinguished statesman of his generation as well. here at pearl harbor, america's first battle of the second world war roused a nation. here in so many ways america came of age. a generation of americans, including my grandparents, that greatest generation, they did not seek war, but they refused to shrink from it, and they all did their part on fronts and in factories, and while 75 years later the proud ranks of pearl harbor survivors have thinned with time, the bravery we recall

here is forever etched in our national heart. i would ask all our pearl harbor and world war ii veterans who are able to to please stand or raise your hands, because a grateful nation thanks you. [ applause ] >> the character of nations is tested in war, but it is defined in peace. after one of the most horrific chapters in human history, one

that took not tens of thousands but tens of millions of lives. with ferocious fighting across this ocean. the united states and japan chose friendship, and they chose peace. over the decades our alliance has made both of our nations more successful. it has helped underwrite an international order that has prevented another world war and that has lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty. today the alliance between the united states and japan, bound not only by shared interests but also rooted in common values, stands as the cornerstone of peace and stability in the asia pacific and a force for progress around the globe.

our alliance has never been stronger. in good times and in bad, we are there for each other. recall five years ago when a wall of water bore down an japan and reactors in fukushima melted. america's men and women in uniform were there to help our japanese friends. across the globe, the united states and japan worked shoulder to shoulder to strengthen the security of the asia pacific and the world. turning back piracy, combatting disease, slowing the spread of nuclear weapons, keeping the peace in war-torn lands. earlier this year near pearl harbor japan joined with two dozen nations in the world's largest maritime military

exercise, and that included our forces from u.s. pacific command led by admiral harry harris, the son of an american naval officer and a japanese mother. harry was born in yokoska, but you wouldn't know it from his tennessee twang. thank you, harry, for your outstanding leadership. [ applause ] >> in this sense, our presence here today, the connections not just between our governments but between our people, the presence of prime minister abe here today, remind us of what is possible between nations and between peoples. wars can end.

the most bitter of adversaries can become the strongest of allies, the fruits of peace always outweigh the plunder of war. this is the enduring truth of this hallowed harbor. 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 sacrifice made here, the anguish of war. reminds us to seek the divine spark that is common to all humanity.

it insists that we strive to be what our japanese friends called [ speaking foreign language ] with and for each other. that's the lesson of captain william callahan of "the missouri." even after an attack on his ship, he ordered that the japanese pilot be laid to rest with military honors, wrapped in a japanese flag sewn by american sailors. it's the lesson, in turn, of the japanese pilot who, years later, returned to this harbor, befriended an old marine bugler and asked him to play "taps" and lay roses every month, one for

america's fallen and one for japan. it's a lesson our two peoples learn every day in the most ordinary of ways, whether it's americans studying in tokyo, young japanese studying across america, scientists from our two nations together unraveling the mysteries of cancer or combatting climate change, exploring the stars. it's a baseball player like ichiro lighting up a stadium in miami, buoyed by the shared pride of two peoples, both american and japanese, united in peace and friendship. as nations and as people, we cannot choose the history that we inherit, but we can choose what lessons to draw from it. and use those lessons to chart our own futures.

mr. abe, i welcome you here in the spirit of friendship, as the people of japan have always welcomed me. i hope that, together, we send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war, that reconciliation carries more rewards than retribution. here in this quiet harbor, we honor those we lost, and we give thanks for all that our two nations have won together, as friends. may god hold the fallen in his everlasting arms, and may he watch over our veterans and all who stand guard on our behalf. may god bless us all. thank you. [ applause ]

>> you've been listening there to president obama speaking alongside the japanese prime minister shinzo abe at pearl harbor. the president ending with a message there saying they hope to send a message to the world that there is more to be won in peace than in war. 75 years since the attack on pearl harbor. coming up, we'll have more on today's other breaking news story, the death of "star wars" actress carrie fisher. reaction continues to come in from her friends and colleagues. also ahead, a cnn exclusive. i'm joined by senators john mccain and lindsey graham to talk about the many and growing threats posed by russia's vladimir putin. you're in "the situation room."

we continue to follow the breaking news of actress carrie fisher's death. we'll have more on her life and career in a moment. we are also following important developments as a bipartisan group of u.s. senators takes a firsthand look at new, aggressive moves by russia's vladimir putin. i am joined now by senator john mccain and senator lindsey

graham coming from us from estonia. thank you both for taking the time on this very important trip. senator mccain, if i could begin with you. both you and senator graham have criticized president obama for being weak on russia. president-elect trump has repeatedly discussed a friendlier relationship with russia, for instance, letting the annexation even of crimea stand. senator mccain, is that a danger to the national security of the u.s. and, in particular, its eastern european allies? >> i think, if that happened, obviously it would be. i have seen general mattis. he has very strong views on it, and so do many others. so i believe that vladimir putin is a thug and a bully, and i believe that that has become apparent, and one of the reasons why lindsey graham and i are here is to reassure our allies of strong support from the united states senate and the armed services committee. >> let me ask you this, then,

because donald trump has repeatedly dismissed the assessment of the u.s. intelligence committee that russia, led by putin, the dictator and the thug, as you described him, that russia hacked the u.s. election. senator graham, are you concerned that trump is, in effect, siding with a dangerous adversary of the united states against his own intelligence agencies? >> well, when i heard that president-elect trump basically dismissed the intelligence, i was very shocked because i had been briefed by the fbi. there is no doubt in my mind that russia hacked into our political systems, that it was russian groups that hacked into john podesta's e-mail at the dnc. they hacked into my campaign account. reince priebus said that the president-elect would accept the results if all the intelligence community is on the same sheet of music. the fbi, the cia and the d.i. director of national intelligence, are all saying the

same thing, that the russians tried to influence our elections. >> do you have any explanation for why the president-elect still refuses to then accept that assessment, particularly now that he is being briefed, presumably, on the classified intelligence that led to that assessment? >> well, jim, i think he will be, when presented with the overwhelming evidence, change his view. and he has said some things, like he wants to spend more money on defense. he has said some favorable things about nato. but on the issue of the russians, i mean, there is no doubt about it, and we have to act and we have to have a policy, which this administration does not have, and a strategy which this administration does not have, and address this threat to our national security. if they're able to undermine an election, they are able, then, to undermine democracy. >> let me ask you this -- >> jim, if i may add -- >> he's had multiple opportunities.

i do want you to answer, senator graham, to both before and after the election to accept the assessment and yet he's doubled and tripled down on talking about a cozier relationship with putin, denying the intelligence community's assessment. what are you going to do, senator graham and senator mccain if he doesn't change his tune in fact on russia? >> there are 100 senators. amy klobuchar is on this trip with us. a democrat from minnesota. 99 of us believe the russians did this. we're going to do something about it. along with senator mccain. we'll have the hearings and put sanctions together that hit putin as an individual, and his inner circle, for interfering in our election. they're doing it all over the world, not just in the united states. estonia is hit all the time. they're interfering in elections in democratic countries' efforts to self-determination all over the world. it's not just in our back yard. >> senator graham, you are right in the middle of it there, in

the baltics, arguably the most nervous nato allies right now in light of russia's moves in ukraine, crimea, et cetera. >> right. >> what are they expressing to you about their concerns about trump's commitment to nato as well as his cozier relationship with russia? how concerned are they? >> well, what they are telling us is that there has been a massive russian military build up along the borders. the russians are increasing military capabilities in this region. we have american forces over here training with estonians. we have an american company over here. john mccain and lindsey graham believe and will advise the president-elect that, when he becomes president, to continually keep u.s. troops in the region, partnering with training, advising, assisting, exercising with our balkan partners, to reassure them of

our commitment. apparently president-elect trump has reached out to political leaders in estonia to reassure them of his commitment to nato. so i am going to give him a chance to lead. i think he will. and the best thing the president-elect could do when he becomes president is to keep a continued u.s. military presence along with the nato presence in the balkans. >> senator mccain, do you have any doubt that if vladimir putin were to inviade a nato ally, fo instance, estonia, that president trump would send forces to defend them. >> i do. and i believe trump will understand the need for an american presence here. he has himself said we need to rebuild the military which has been harmed dramatically over the last eight years. >> stand by for a moment. we'll take a quick break and be back to continue the conversation in just a moment.

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senator mccain, if i could start with you. donald trump, as you know, has threatened to expand america's nuclear arsenal, even suggested that he would welcome a nuclear

arms race with russia and other nuclear powers. as you know, nuclear arms reduction has been a bipartisan priority for decades. in your view, are his comments in this case via twitter, are they dangerous? >> i believe that there -- it's patently obvious that vladimir putin is increasing his nuclear arsenal. he is violating agreements that he has made concerning certain types of nuclear weapons, and we need to have a strong nuclear inventory, and we ought to do what we can to make vladimir putin stay with the agreements that he signed that he is now violating. >> senator graham, on the issue of nukes, you, during the campaign, had been critical of many of donald trump's positions and the way he has expressed those positions on key national security issues. do you worry that trump's communication style, using twitter, could lead to misunderstanding, potentially

escalate conflicts, over what are sensitive, arguably the most sensitive issues, involving nuclear weapons. whether it's a north korea, pakistan or russia. how concerned are you about that being a platform for stating potential changes in u.s. security policy? >> well, when it comes to the nuclear issue, president-elect trump said we need to modernize our nuclear force, and we do, as some of it is falling into a state of disrepair. i will be honest with you. i am not so sure this is the best way to communicate. it's up to him. he beat me. he is president of the united states. all i can say is that, one thing putin has done, he has brought democrats and republicans together to go after him. i think most of us, democrats and republicans, really believe that russia is up to no good all over the world. they're trying to break the back of democracies. and if we don't push back against putin, iran and china, they could hack into our

systems. today it's democrats, tomorrow it could be republicans with the iranians and chinese. trump says he'll be tough with china. he needs to be. we need so show any nation what happens if they try to interfere with our democratic process. it's the democrats today. it could be us tomorrow, to my republican colleagues. >> president-elect doesn't have a slightly different approach. he has a diametrically opposed. concern about this. he says russia, not a threat. he wants to get closer to russia. he denies that russia hacked the election. i mean, that's not a minor adjustment to the view of russia that, for instance, you and you said 99 members of the senate have. how do you rectify that? >> well, first of all, let me point out that i have disagreed with republican presidents in the past. i disagreed with ronald reagan when he sent marines to lebanon. i said that donald rumsfeld, the secretary of defense, had to be

fired because of his failure in iraq. so it's not unusual for me not to agree with the president of the united states. and on this issue, what the -- as we have hearings on cyber, which will be, i think, very helpful to helping him understand the threat that cyber poses, and and i believe he will be helping us take appropriate action. it is the ability to distort the outcome of the free and fair election. >> senator mccain, one signal as to donald trump's approach to russia will be his senior appointments. and donald trump's nominee for secretary of state, rex tillerson, he has a close relationship with vladimir putin which you call a matter of concern. do you believe there will be a confirmation showdown next month

over tillerson even though republicans have the majority in the senate? >> i have concerns and i will wait until the nominee responds to the questions that we have, clarify his positions, clarify his record. every elected president has the, it's not the right but the president should be able to name that nominee the president chooses, and then the congress and the united states senate exercises its role of advice and consent. that's what i will be exercising in the case of mr. tillerson. and yes, i have concerns. i have concerns about his relationship with vladimir putin, his relationship with russia, and other issues as well. so we'll wait and see. i am supposed to meet with tillerson and i look forward to that opportunity. >> finally, you're very aware of this confrontation with the u.s. and israel on the israeli

settlement policy. under president trump, do you believe that the relationship will improve? >> absolutely. i am very pleased, what i've heard from president-elect trump about our relationship with israel. this resolution basically declaring that the western wall was part of the occupied territory, is ridiculous. it is a break in policy. for decades we've had disputes about settlements but every preds has agreed not to take it to the u.n. security council. what i thought the u.n. security council did was really quite frankly outrageous. it undercuts the prospects. and i will be working with my colleagues to push back against this resolution. either cut off funding, suspend funding or some form of reprisal against the united nations to

give president trump some leverage to get a better outcome. so i'm very encourage that had under president trump, israel will get a better deal. >> thank you for taking the time and we wish you safe travels home. our experts are here to react to what we've just heard. if i can ask you, this is a pretty remarkable division between president-elect, as you heard senator graham say, 99 u.s. senators seem to be hoping he will come around, mr. trump on russia. what is that hope based on? >> they're making their case. they're literally traveling the world to collect evidence to present to the incoming administration to prove that russia did this beyond any reasonable doubt. and as you pointed out very skillfully in your interview, if president trump doesn't want to believe it, he won't believe it. they can have sanctions and hold hearings, make statements. in the tend only person that matters is the president-elect.

they're doing their best to collect as much evidence as possible. they're not there yet. >> they said they are confident that he will defend from russian aggression. but of course, you're very aware, donald trump's comments, both before and after the election have questioned the u.s. commitment to nato marchly in eastern europe, should they be concerned? >> i'm very bias in the favor of nato. i think it is a terrific organization that has expanded the communication and exercises and support on combat and other areas among 28 nations of nato. and that goes beyond the 28 nations. the concerns i have are nations outside nato like ukraine and georgia and moldova and some of

those. so i believe as josh just said, there is a lot of evidence out there. i think once mr. trump is presented with it. if he does have the ability to expand his world view and see how important this organization that has been around for over 70 years is, i think he will begin to understand how critically important nato is in securing the continued peace of europe and areas outside of europe. >> it will be pretty remarkable to have that happen. coming up, new reaction to star wars fans and you'll hear more on fisher's own thoughts on that iconic character. >> do you like the princess? >> i have her over sometimes. ♪ guyhey nicole, happening here? this is my new alert system for whenever anything happens in the market. kid's a natural. but thinkorswim already lets you create custom alerts

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loss of a legend. fans are mourning the death of carrie fisher who brought one of the most iconic figures to life.

new reaction from hollywood. from enemies to allies. president obama and japan's prime minister pay an historic visit to pearl harbor. 75 years after the surprise japanese attack. tonight, mr. obama is reminding the world and a divided nation at home that old wounds can heal. trump's choice. the president-elect reaches back to the bush era to select a top homeland security and cyber terror adviser. is he setting the stage for a turf battle within the trump national security team? and nukes at all cost. a high level deif he canner says kim may try to reach his goal by taking advantage of the change in power at the white house. we want to welcome our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim sciutto and you're in "the situation room."