As the number of people suffering from treatment-resistant depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rises, some patients are turning to an unlikely medication for help: a hallucinogenic party drug called Ketamine.

Dr. David Feifel, a neuropsychiatrist with the University of California, San Diego, said he is getting remarkable results with a pioneering treatment using Ketamine, also known as Special K.

Long before it became known as a party drug, Ketamine was used as an anesthetic, listed as an essential medication for that purpose by the World Health Organization.

But for the last five years, Feifel has been injecting deeply depressed and suicidal patients with low doses of Ketamine at his clinic. Those in treatment say they are there to live or die.

Ross George, 23, took the very long trek from his home in Canada for a 30-minute trip on 20 milligrams of Ketamine. The dose is not enough to render him unconscious, but it is enough to make him hallucinate and temporarily clear his mind of suicidal thoughts.

George was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and borderline personality disorder. Three times in as many years, George attempted suicide.

“I put a plastic bag over my head and an elastic band to create a seal,” George said.

His most recent attempt led him to what some patients call the clinic of last resort. Before he sought out Feifel’s help, he said he wrote a suicide note and had a plan for how he was going to kill himself.

Another patient, Jon de Kerguelen, was diagnosed with OCD and depression as a teenager. He has tried most antidepressants on the market, he said, and none of them have worked.

But after just four Ketamine treatments in two months, de Kerguelen is a new man, he told NBC 7.

“All of the sudden my depression was just gone, and I felt like in my mind I could do anything. I felt like I was all knowing and enlightened,” de Kerguelen said.

According to Feifel, 65 percent of his patients respond positively to Ketamine treatments. The affect is almost immediate, unlike many popular antidepressants that take up to two weeks to start working.

“Brain cells will interact with other brain cells and spouting new connections. This happens rapidly within 24 hours,” Dr. Feifel said.

Typical antidepressants modulate neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin to help brain cells communicate. Ketamine modulates an often-overlooked neurotransmitter called glutamate, which stimulates the brain, the neuropsychiatrist said.

Ketamine may be known as a party drug but it’s not addictive, according to Feifel. It is not an FDA-approved treatment for depression but can be used "off label" because for decades, ketamine has been an FDA-approved for other uses.

“[Patients] will say to me, without any equivocation, was it not for Ketamine, they would not be here today,” Dr. Feifel said.

When he spoke with NBC 7, George was just coming out of his third Ketamine treatment.

“It's like you leave your body and gain a whole new perspective on your life, your fears, your worries and your anxieties,” George said.

Ketamine is not a cure. The effects last anywhere from two days to several months -- a brief respite from suicidal feelings and a debilitated life.

The feeling is described in a word Feifel's patients often use.

“I have hope for the first time in my life, and hope, that's enough,” George said.

Feifel said 30 percent of his PTSD patients are responding to Ketamine treatments. He expects that number to rise with all the referrals he is getting from the VA Hospital.
 

School districts like San Diego Unified rely on bonds to fund things like the installation of air conditioning units or the purchase of iPads for use in the classroom. Proposition 39 made it easier for bonds to be passed, and it required an oversight committee to ensure that funds are spent responsibly.

And that’s where the Independent Citizen’s Oversight Committee comes in. Andrew Berg is chair of the committee, which serves as the public watchdog when it comes to how school bond dollars are spent. He is also head of a local chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, which lobbies on behalf of the very electricians who work for the school districts.

Berg said the fact that he simultaneously holds these two positions is an inconsequential detail, but the California League of Bond Oversight Committees isn’t so sure.

NBC 7’s Monica Dean and Voice of San Diego’s Ashly McGlone shed light on the citizen committee that oversees how millions of taxpayer dollars collected and spent by local government officials. They also detail Berg’s dual roles, how they intersect and why it matters on this week’s San Diego Explained.

Donald Trump isn’t backing down from comments he made about “thousands and thousands” of U.S. Muslims cheering in Jersey City, New Jersey, after the Twin Towers came down on 9/11, according to NBC News.

The Republican front-runner even told NBC News in a phone call that he has “the world’s greatest memory.” During the phone call, he offered reassurances that he had seen video of celebrations on television and “all over the internet.”

The comments come as a new poll shows Trump soaring in weekend polls, with a double-digit lead over rival, Ben Carson.

Trump took center stage in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, where he spoke to a crowd about rival Governor John Kasich and about his stance on national security.

An explosive belt has been found in a suburb south of Paris on Monday, a spokesperson for the city's prosecutor told NBC News.

The discovery in the Montrouge neighborhood triggered new worries as investigators continued an international manhunt for suspects in a series of coordinated attacks on Nov. 13 in which 130 people died. At the same time, French authorities are scrambling to prevent other attacks from taking place, NBC News reported.

Montrouge's mayor said the belt was not active.

A cell phone was found near the belt, the prosecutor's spokesperson said.

French police told The Associated Press that the belt was found by a street cleaner in a pile of rubble. Investigators are analyzing it to see if it may have been used in the earlier attacks, an unnamed official for the judicial police told The AP.

Authorities cordoned off a street in Montrouge, a witness told NBC News.

Southern California scientists have created a genetically modified batch of mosquitoes capable of blocking malaria, a development that could help eradicate the disease, UC San Diego officials announced Monday.

Biologists at UC San Diego worked with their colleagues at UC Irvine used a gene editing technique to modify the mosquitoes, which can then quickly introduce the modified genes into the general population. By inserting a DNA element using the Crispr method, researchers found that 99.5 percent of the offspring would have the malaria-preventing gene.

“This opens up the real promise that this technique can be adapted for eliminating malaria,” said Anthony James, Distinguished Professor of molecular biology & biochemistry and microbiology & molecular genetics at UCI, in a statement.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms usually include fever, chills and a flu-like illness, and if left untreated, the patient may die. Annually, 300 to 500 million cases occur each year, the CDC says, and more than 40 percent of the world’s population lives in at-risk areas for developing the disease. 

James has spent 20 years researching and engineering anti-disease mosquitoes in the James Lab. 

Researchers collaborated to fuse two previous ideas by UC San Diego biologists Ethan Bier and Valentino Gantz with James’ mosquito theory to create the method. Scientists inserted a Cas9 enzyme, which cuts DNA, and a guide RNA to create a genetic “cassette”. By targeting a specific spot of the DNA’s germ line, they were able to insert an anti-malaria antibody.

Though further testing is needed to confirm that the antibodies are efficient, James said, this step could lead to field studies in the future.

“This is a significant first step,” said James in a statement. “We know the gene works. The mosquitoes we created are not the final brand, but we know this technology allows us to efficiently create large populations.”

The research may also have a larger impact on the field when it comes to ‘active genetic’ systems, Bier said.

The study appeared in an early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Nijole Jasinskiene, Olga Tatarenkova, Aniko Fazekas and Vanessa Macias of UCI contributed to the study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the W.M. Keck Foundation and a gift from Drs. Sarah Sandell and Michael Marshall.

Nearly 900 adults died from not wearing seat belts in 2013 and there was one common denominator: They were all riding in the back seat, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The association issued the report on Monday as a warning, gearing up for the influx in travel around the Thanksgiving holiday.

The report asserted that seat belts would have saved 400 of these lives and that rear seat passengers are three times more likely to die in a crash if they don’t buckle up.

The concern for the researchers is that front seat passengers are more likely to buckle up than rear seat passengers.

The report found that 87 percent of front seat passengers wear their seat belt, compared to just 78 percent in the backseat.

The discrepancy became more apparent when researchers looked at fatalities: 74 percent wore seat belts in the front seat, compared to 60 percent in the backseat, according to the report.

While the report pointed out that 32 states don’t have strong rear seat belt laws, California does have a law against not wearing your seat belt and violates could face a $162 fine.

According to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency a person at Helix Charter School was diagnosed with tuberculosis recently.

HHSA is working with school officials to contact anyone who may have been in contact with the person between August 5 and November 13.

Free testing for students at the school will take place December 1.

Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

“Most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease, but those that do develop symptoms can be treated and cured with medication,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “That’s why it’s important to identify those who have been exposed.”

TB is not uncommon in San Diego, but the numbers have decreased in the last several years. So far this year 184 cases have been reported in the county.

For more information on this potential exposure, call the County TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621.
 

A former aide to Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio was sentenced to five years of probation Monday for using a phony email account to make it appear DeMaio or one of his associates threatened him.

While he avoided jail time, Todd Bosnich will also have to complete 240 hours community service, to take part in a mental health treatment program and to pay a $2,500 fine. In June, Bosnich pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony count of obstructing justice, admitting he lied to the FBI when questioned about that email.

According to documents released by the U.S. attorney’s office, Bosnich set up a “dummy” Yahoo email account, using a false gender and date of birth. He then used that account, elimanagment@yahoo.com, one time “to send a particularly ugly and threatening message.”

Prosecutors said that email “suggested that the ‘anonymous’ author of the email would ensure” Bosnich would never work in politics again if he continued to make allegations against DeMaio.

At the time, that threatening email was believed to have been sent by an anonymous user. It became one element of controversy after Bosnich was fired from DeMaio’s campaign.

On Monday, Bosnich made his first public remarks on the incident, stating he takes full responsibility for his actions and is "very sorry" for what he did. His attorney told the judge Bosnich is suffering from severe depression and has been seeking psychiatric help for the last six months.

The prosecutor requested Bosnich be sentenced to probation but wanted to ensure the felony count remains permanently on his record in case he ever wants to go into politics again. The judge said Bosnich will not be able to wipe this charge from his record like state or local cases.

The probation department said this case has "no victims," but the judge said he strongly disagreed with this. Although there is no proof this incident alone cost DeMaio the race for the District 52 Congressional seat, the judge said it definitely played a role.

DeMaio, his campaign, and the democratic process itself are the real victims in this case, the judge said.

DeMaio sent this statement after the sentencing: 

“Todd Bosnich’s lies were incredibly painful, smeared my reputation, and ultimately derailed our Congressional campaign.

"Although no length of sentence can ever undo the damage he has done, what matters is that Bosnich was unmasked as a liar and is now a convicted felon.

"I want to thank the FBI and US Attorney for exposing Bosnich’s lies and seeking justice in this matter. I also want to thank the thousands of supporters who stood by me and saw this disgusting smear for what it was. Your faith and support sustained me through this nightmare.”

Last October, Bosnich accused DeMaio of sexual harassment. DeMaio flatly denied the allegations, calling them outrageous lies.

Click here to read the full plea agreement.

According to federal prosecutors, Bosnich’s sent the “anonymous” email to himself “to bolster his claims that DeMaio was threatening him to remain silent about the alleged sexual harassment. In this fashion, Defendant's claims about DeMaio's sexual harassment appeared not only to be legitimate, but to take on a new and, perhaps, more sinister context.”

The Grand Jury issued subpoenas to attempt to identify who sent the threatening emails, according to prosecutors.

Click here to read more about the charges.

After becoming aware of the “anonymous” email and the “serious nature of the allegations” contained in it, the San Diego Police Department notified the FBI.

In October, NBC 7 Investigates first reported that anonymous emails sent to Bosnich were the subject of FBI agent interviews with potential witnesses.

According to court documents, the FBI spoke with Bosnich last year. During that meeting Bosnich was told he was being interviewed as a victim as part of an investigation “into whether DeMaio had sent or caused the sending of the threatening emails, which he had discussed with the SDPD and the media.”

According to prosecutors, during that meeting with the FBI, Bosnich “speculated” whether it was DeMaio or someone else with the politician's campaign that sent the email.

Bosnich also said, “DeMaio was fond of sending emails (and communicating via Twitter) using alias accounts,” and “that DeMaio used this tactic quite often.”

According to court documents, the FBI met with Bosnich again in October 2014. At that meeting, Bosnich “repeated his claim that he and his mother received a total of three threatening emails. When questioned specifically about the authorship of these emails, Defendant falsely asserted several times that he 'did not know' who sent him the Threatening Email. Defendant also stated that he suspected that the author might have been DeMaio or one of his close associates.”

Bosnich “made a serious and foolish mistake,” Frank Vecchione, Bosnich’s attorney, said in court Friday. Vecchione said Bosnich is now in counseling for his problems.

By writing the email and telling the SDPD, the FBI and the media he did not know who sent the email Bosnich, according to prosecutors, attempted to influence the DeMaio investigation. “He acted corruptly as he recognized that what he was telling the government was inaccurate and did, in fact, influence a pending official proceeding.”

A ground stop that temporarily kept planes from landing at San Diego's Lindbergh Field due to heavy fog was lifted just after 11 p.m. Monday.

The thick fog moved in at about 7:43 p.m. Since 7:50 p.m., airport officials said only a couple flights had been able to land. Planes were still able to take off.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Ian Gregor said a first tier ground stop was issued for the airport as a result of the foggy conditions, meaning all aircraft bound for the airport were being held at their departure points within about an hour's flying time of San Diego.

"Several airborne flights have diverted," Gregor confirmed around 10:30 p.m..

According to FlightRadar24.com, at least 32 flights to San Diego were diverted to LAX, Ontario, Las Vegas, Long Beach and Palm Springs. It appeared at least one flight had been cancelled.

Check the status of your flight at the San Diego Airport's website.

On Monday night, NBC 7's Dagmar Midcap said the patchy, dense fog overnight from the coast to about five miles inland would give way to low-level stratus clouds that would eventually thicken throughout the afternoon, leading to a 40 percent chance of rain over and to the west of the mountains into the evening and overnight hours of Wednesday.

Get weather updates here.

A well-known animal rescuer in San Bernardino County, California, now faces more than a dozen felony counts of animal abuse in what some in the rescue community are calling one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they have seen.

Sherre Kay Buell is charged with three counts in Hesperia and twelve counts in Apple Valley.

"I think that's one of the most difficult things for any of us in the animal welfare position. Why do people hurt animals?" wondered Gina Whiteside, manager at the Town of Apple Valley Animal Services.

Of the 13 severely malnourished dogs animal control officers removed from Buell's home in April, two had to be euthanized, one died en route to the veterinarian and another was found dead in a trash can.

"Their skin was very tight to their ribs," said Whiteside, adding that some animals were so weak, they not able to get up on their own.

The case shocked the animal rescue community, especially those who had worked with Buell to help dogs in the past.

"Kay had an impeccable reputation for helping rescues as a foster, specifically for senior dogs, hospice dogs," said Annie Hart of Rescue from the Hart.

Hart had not worked with Buell directly, but had heard of her rescue work from others.

"I was horrified when Kay Buell was arrested," she said.

Hart said Buell brought a dog named Angel to her rescue group in January.

"She was hours away from death," Hart said. "We had been told she was found stumbling down the side of the road. And she couldn’t even stand up for us, so that seemed a little odd. ... To go from a 30 pound dog, 33 pound dog down to an 11 pound dog, that takes months."

Angel is not one of the dogs included in the felony complaint against Buell, but her case is still being investigated, according to Whiteside, who said she expects more dogs to be added to the complaint.

"There needs to be some animal action at the state level that regulates animal rescuing," Whiteside said.

Angel has made a remarkable recovery and has now been officially adopted.

While shelters are regulated by law to ensure they humanely care and provide for the animals they take in, the same rules are not in place for rescue groups or the people who foster, explained Whiteside.

"When you don't keep track of animals going out, you don't know who's taking them," said Whiteside. "You end up with a situation like Ms. Buell's."

Hart said she would like to see more accountability when it comes to keeping track of animals after they leave the shelter.

"First, would be an animal abuse registry that shelters and general public can look up to make sure the person is legitimate," she said.

Lindsay Vose, Buell's attorney, urged the public "to refrain from prejudging Ms. Buell based on much of the misinformation currently being shared on social media." She went on to say, "At this time we are diligently reviewing all of the evidence received from the DA’s office. Ms. Buell looks forward to her day in court and the opportunity for the true facts in this case to come to light."

Buell is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 3. She is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

For additional video of Angel, please visit Rescue From the Hart.

French authorities have taken 165 people into custody and indicted 124 in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, the country’s interior minister said on Tuesday.

The officials didn’t say what the indictments were related to or whether they were directly linked to the attacks. France imposed a state of emergency hours after the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 dead and injured hundreds.

Along with the people who have been detained, authorities there have also conducted 1,233 searches and seized close to 200 arms — including "weapons of war" such as automatic rifles and explosives, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told parliament.

In nearby Brussels, the city has been on high alert as well.  

Amazon is removing a subway ad for its new series, "The Man in the High Castle," amid uproar over their use of insignia inspired by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

The online retailer made the decision to pull the ads amid widespread coverage of the wrap, which cover half the 42nd Street shuttle's seats in decals of the American flag with the stars replaced by an emblem that closely resembles the Nazi Reichsadler, the heraldic eagle used by the Third Reich. The other side features a recreation of a World War II-era Japanese flag in red, white and blue.

Cars on the line that runs between Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal and Times Square were recently wrapped in decals for the show, which is based on the eponymous book by Philip K. Dick that imagines an alternate reality where the Axis powers won World War II and took over the world. 

Ad posters for the show can be seen throughout the subway system and show of the Statue of Liberty performing the Nazi salute while draped in a sash featuring the Reichsadler.  

Straphanger Ann Toback was disturbed to find the posters wallpapered on the Grand Central shuttle.

"Hate speech, hate insignia requires a response when you see it, you don't just say, 'oh, it's New York," said Toback. "You see, you have a choice to stare at the Japanese empire insignia or the Nazi insignia." 

A spokesman for the MTA said there were no grounds to reject the ads because they do not violate the authority's content-neutral ad standards, which only prohibits advertising that disparages an individual or group. 

"The MTA is a government agency and can't accept or reject ads based on how we feel about them; we have to follow the standards approved by our board," the spokesman said. "Please note they’re commercial ads."

Some activists and officials, however, expressed outrage that the advertisements were allowed to run.

"As a Jew, I am offended, and as a New Yorker, I am embarrassed," said state Rep. Jeffrey Dinowitz. "The MTA should be ashamed of themselves and this ignorant advertising campaign, as it is offensive not just to the Jewish community, but to all Americans."

Mayor de Blasio also decried the ads, calling them "irresponsible."

“While these ads technically may be within MTA guidelines, they’re irresponsible and offensive to World War II and Holocaust survivors, their families, and countless other New Yorkers. Amazon should take them down,” de Blasio said.

Not everyone was bothered by the marketing. One rider said, "It's not like the end of the world, it's not specifically targeting a group of people. It's just for a show."

Ultimately, the backlash prompted Amazon the make the decision to pull the ads late Tuesday. Still, Toback wondered about the process that led to the controversial ads going up in the first place. 

"It scares me almost as much this went up the chain of command at the MTA, and nobody said this is a bad idea," she said. 

A 67-year-old man died in Carlsbad Monday night after being hit by a pick-up truck.

The accident happened at the corner of Jefferson Street and Marron Road around 5:19 p.m.

The pedestrian was crossing the street when he was hit by a 51-year-old driver. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver has not been charged with anything and officials say intoxication does not appear to be a factor.

The victim’s identity has not been released pending notification of family.

Carlsbad Police Department’s Traffic Division is investigating.

Two victims have reported being blocked on a street near San Diego State University (SDSU) by four suspects, described as teenagers, and sexually battered, according to SDSU Campus Police. 

The first reported incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Monday and the second around 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, campus police said. 

The first victim says the suspects blocked her way on temporary sidewalk on the east side of a construction site, and at least four teens used the chain link walls to pen her in. One of the teens then grabbed her buttocks. The incident happened when she tried to get past them, north of Linda Paseo at 5100 College Avenue.

After she passed them, one of the suspects followed her and grabbed her on the buttocks again.

The second victim reported a similar situation in a similar location, north of Linda Paseo. When the victim turned to confront the suspect, a juvenile began yelling obscenities at her. 

"We're a little scared to be walking out at night by ourselves especially," said SDSU senior Amanda Hitchens. "We are going to try to stay together." 

San Diego police say the incidents are probably related, but police have not been able to prove it. Officers confronted a group of 14- to 16-year-old boys on campus Tuesday, but neither victim were able to identify which one grabbed them. No charges are being pressed, and the boys have been released to their parents.

Anyone with information or questions should contact San Diego Police Department at (858) 495-7900 and reference case number 15-050662.

San Diego Police officers are investigating.

A busy street in San Diego’s Midway District was flooded Tuesday morning due to build-up in some drains, officials said.

Water flooded the 2500 block of Midway Drive near Barnett Avenue at around 7 a.m., leaving commuters to drive through very large puddles.

An officer with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) told NBC 7 two factors contributed to the flooding: high tide and backed up drains.

He said the water is not able to drain properly due to the backed up drains.

As of 7:50 a.m., clean-up crews had been called out to the area to clear out the drains.

For now, drivers are using the inside lanes in both directions on Midway Drive in order to avoid the parts of the roadway that are heavily flooded.
 

 Shoppers heading out to pick up holiday gifts this season may fall victim to car thieves, and officials are working to help make residents more aware of theft. 

San Diego County Sheriff's deputies with the Rancho San Diego substation handed out fliers Tuesday, making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to holiday shopping this year. 

Deputies recommend always locking car doors, rolling up windows, carrying your purse in front of you and close to your chest, and shopping with a friend. 

Shoppers said they have heard the warning time and time again, but sometimes as they hurry, they forget.

"I've left it in the bag, when I go into another store, I try to put it on the floor, but sometimes I forget and it's on the seat where they can see it easier," said shopper Sue Klassen. "That's not smart." 

Other shoppers said exercising caution is a priority. 

"I try to keep (my car) locked up, I don't leave anything out that someone would want to take," said Ron Bergman. 

Sheriff's deputies were also handing out free steering wheel locks for some of the top vehicles that suffer break-ins: Honda Civics, Honda Accords, a Toyota or Nissan pickup truck and a Jeep Wrangler. 

Store owners also received signs to put in their window to warn thieves officials are keeping their eyes on them. 

Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos’ space transportation company successfully landed a suborbital rocket on Monday after launching it earlier that day.

The New Shepard rocket poked the border where earth’s atmosphere gives way to space, at an altitude of 62 miles. Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, recalled the rocket back to earth where it safely landed at its West Texas launch site.

The reusable rocket is designed to carry six passengers and Monday’s feat is one giant leap for the company’s goal to commission commercial space trips. Bezos told reporters on a conference call Tuesday that he expects that Blue Origin will be involved in commercial space operations within "a couple of years."

In the weeks since terrorists killed 130 people in Paris and wounded hundreds more, bullet holes were found at a mosque in Connecticut, threats were called in to two others in Florida and a man left a fake bomb outside a fourth in Virginia.

More than 30 of the country's governors announced that Syrian refugees were not welcome in their states, while Southwest Airlines tried to keep a Philadelphia pizza parlor owner and his friend off a flight after a fellow passenger heard them speaking Arabic.

And Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who had already suggested a registry for Muslims, revived a debunked claim that they celebrated in the streets of New Jersey as the Twin Towers fell.

"They don't need to blame all the Muslims because the ISIS are Muslims," said Omar Alnajjar, 16, outside the Mocha Hookah shop on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. "We're Muslim but we're not like them."

"They just kill anybody," he said. "They're terrorists."

He and 14-year-old Ezzaldeen Alkushtary both came from Yemen eight years ago and both believed that if they lived elsewhere in the United States they would face discrimination. Alkushtary said that Muslims are replacing black Americans as targets.

Comments like Trump's are fueling Islamaphobia across the country, said Abdul Mubarak-Rowe, the communications director of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. So are comments from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who said that not even Syrian orphans younger than 5 should be admitted to the United States.

"Of course we are very disturbed by what we are hearing and what are seeing," Mubarak-Rowe said. "It's very unfortunate that these candidates seem to want to promote bigotry and racism in order to appeal to a very narrow base of their constituency."

A group of Muslim leaders in New Jersey came together after the Paris attacks to condemn them and to insist that Islam provided no rationale for such deadly acts.

"There is no cause or injustice done to anyone that can ever justify killing of innocent human beings," they said.

Muslims routinely speak out against terrorist attacks and yet are ignored, Mubarak-Rowe said.

"We denounce them continuously," he said. "It is not something that is found in Islam at all and we speak out vociferously against it."

Hate crimes against Muslims as tracked by the FBI are on the rise even as attacks against other groups fell. There were 154 attacks in 2014, up from 135 in 2013, according to the figures released earlier this month. Most reglious attacks continued to be anti-Jewish — 609 in 2014.

But the Southern Poverty Law Center argues that crimes against Muslims are likely to be much higher than the official numbers, up to 6,000 by the group's estimates.

Farhana Khera, the president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, an Oakland, California-based legal and education organization, noted that the year began with the killing of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Threats have continued, particularly in the last 10 days, Khera said.

"This has definitely been a very frightening time for American Muslims," she said.

"The reckless and irresponsible rhetoric from a number of public officials is creating this toxic climate where for some, it's sending the message that it's essentially open season to harass, attack and discriminate against American Muslims. So this is a very, very deeply disturbing time."

Her group is calling for further federal investigations of at least two of the attacks on mosques.

In Meriden, Connecticut, the Baitul Aman mosque was riddled with bullets over the weekend following the Paris killings. Gov. Dannel Malloy later visited and officials say they have a suspect.

"Love for all, hatred for none," Salaam Bhatti, a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, said afterward. "That is what we will continue to do, and no terrorist can make us back down from that."

The same weekend, threatening phone messages were left at two mosques in the Tampa Bay area -- at the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County. Hatem Jaber, a volunteer at the St. Petersburg mosque said that the caller threatened to firebomb the mosque. An FBI spokesman said that investigators knew who had made the call and found no plan to carry out the threats. 

The most recent threat, the fake bomb in Fairfax County, Virginia, was found on Thursday at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church. A 27-year-old man has been charged.

At the A-Halal Meat Market and Grocery in Brooklyn, the owner, 55-year-old Saeed Ahmad, denounced the Paris attackers. Like others along Atlantic Avenue, he said they were not true Muslims. He is frightened, he said, but of terrorists, and even in his native Pakistan.

"I never send my children to Pakistan," he said.

Were they to visit, he would worry about kidnappers and attackers who do not know who they are killing in their assaults.

"They are killing children too," he said. "Sometimes I want to go to Pakistan and I'm scared. Honestly, I'm so safe here in America. How can I send my children over there?"

But another businessman who declined to give his name said he did fear a backlash against Muslims, especially with politicians like Trump stirring anger.

Heading into Ahmad's meat market, 46-year-old Mohamad Moazeb said Muslims needed to support the United States, where everyone has opportunity.

"Muslims love America," said Moazeb, who moved from Yemen in 1985. "Trust me. There's no doubt about it."

Moazeb had no comment about Trump, other to say that like Trump he was in real estate, but he knew whom he would favor for president should he run: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

Meanwhile a woman in another Brooklyn neighborhood, Bedford Stuyvesant, reported that a postal worker spit on her and shouted anti-Muslim slurs after she bumped into him with her baby carriage. The postal worker was accused with aggravated harassment and other charges, according to the New York Police Department.

In Jersey City, New Jersey, where Trump claimed thousands of people cheered the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Muslims are outraged. 

"It is insulting, it is hurtful and it makes us not feel like a real American," said Egyptian-born teacher Nabil Youssef, who said he donated blood on Sept. 11.

Khera said her group appreciated that some people were standing up to anti-Muslim sentiment, the way that the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers, did when a fan shouted out an slur against Muslims during a moment of silence for the French victims before a Sunday game.

"I must admit, I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was that made a comment that was very inappropriate during the moment of silence," Rodgers said.

The pizza parlor owner, Maher Khalil and his friend, Anas Ayyad, called police when they were asked to step aside as their plane home to Philadelphia was boarding in Chicago. The men, who moved to Philadelphia from Palestine 15 years ago, were allowed onto the plane after a delay.

"If that person doesn't feel safe, let them take the bus," Khalil told a Southwest Airlines agent. "We're American citizens just like everybody else."

And getting lots of attention on Twitter is Tayyib M. Rashid, who tweeted: "Hey @realDonaldTrump, I'm an American Muslim and I already carry a special ID badge. Where's yours?"

Below, the now retired U.S. Marine from Chicago posted his Armed Forces of the United States identification card.

Two members of the Russian military were killed Tuesday after a Russian aircraft was struck by a Turkish missile, NBC News reported.

One of the two who died was a pilot, who ejected from their aircraft along with another aviator, after it was struck by a Turkish missile, Russian Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said in a statement.

The other was a Marine aboard an Mi-8 helicopter dispatched to a contested area along the Turkish/Syrian border to find the downed pilots, said Rudskoy, who did not name either of the servicemen.

"In the course of the operation, one of helicopters was damaged by small arms fire and performed an emergency landing in the neutral area," his statement read. "One contract serviceman — member of Marine Troops — was killed."

The missile strike has prompted a furious backlash from the Russian government, and Rudskoy closed his statement by declaring that "contacts with Turkey will be terminated at the military level."

The mother of a San Diego-area teenager fighting for his life against a flesh-eating bacteria thanked the community Tuesday for their support, saying the family was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love. 

"You really don't realize what an impact you have on people's lives until you go through something major like this," mother Silvia Gil said. "And it's just amazing how we were overwhelmed by the outpour of love and support with family and friends."

Giancarlo Gil, 14, a Chula Vista High School freshman has undergone more than 11 surgeries at Rady Children's Hospital after complaining of pain in his calf Saturday, Sept. 26 after playing baseball. His condition quickly changed and Gil was taken to urgent care and then to the emergency room.

Only once he was admitted and authorities treated him for shock and other immediate issues did doctors realize the extent of the swelling and injury to his tissue. 

John Bradley, a Pediatric Infectious Disease doctor, said the teen contracted a strain of Group A Strep that ate through his tissues and destroyed blood vessels and nerves. 

"Unlike regular strep, which just causes local inflammation, the flesh eating strep that was the cause of his infection, just ate through the tissues destroying blood vessels and nerves, allowing the strep to spread very, very quickly," said Bradley.

Surgeons performed a series of surgeries on the young teen, taking out only what they needed to take out, but at one point, two orthopedic surgeons discovered all of the muscle in his lower leg had died. 

Doctors originally amputated the teen's leg to the knee and then days later the leg had to be amputated all the way up to his groin.

Throughout the entire process, Gil said the family has leaned on their faith and the overwhelming support of their family and friends.

"It's been a rough two months, needless to say. That's definite," she said. "But definitely we want to thank God, first and foremost. We are family of faith, and we know that our faith is the one thing that has truly sustained us throughout this whole ordeal."

Though the Giancarlo has been in the hospital for two months, his mother says it's "seemed like we've been here for two years."

She is thankful for everyone that has gone to donate blood for Giancarlo while he was losing a lot of blood, for those that offered prayers and for those that offered their love and support. 

"It's just amazing to look back and to see how quickly my son has truly recovered. It's unbelievable," the mother said. 

"I can never say thank you enough," she said. 

Bradley said the parents did the right thing, bringing him into the ER. 

"I told mom and dad if they had waited even six hours more, he would have died," Bradley said.