The white nationalist who said "Hail Trump" and "hail our people" during a conference in Washington D.C. on Saturday — and who received straight-armed Nazi-like salutes in response — told NBC News Monday that his comments were meant to be "cheeky," "exuberant" and "ironic." 

The remarks from Richard Spencer, whose National Policy Institute was described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the most influential purveyors of academic racism in the country, were published in a video by the Atlantic on Monday.

Spencer, 38, told NBC News that the conference was the "next step" for the "alt-right," a soft euphemism for the once-fringe network with ties to white nationalism that vaulted into the mainstream political scene with Donald Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and includes everyone from hardcore white supremacists and neo-Nazis to critics of so-called "political correctness."

"We need to take this next step in terms of professionalization and in terms of being able to influence people," he told NBC News, adding that he is "very willing to criticize" Trump and say "things that he's not willing or able to say."

Rates of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia appear to have fallen considerably since 2000, and better education may be partly responsible, researchers reported Monday.

Better treatment for diabetes and cardiovascular disease may also be helping, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, NBC News reported.

Dr. Kenneth Langa of the University of Michigan and colleagues studied records from 21,000 people with an average age of 75. 

Their study showed the rate of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in adults aged 65 and up dropped to about 9 percent in 2012 from nearly 12 percent in 2000, continuing a decline noted in earlier research.

Eight people were injured Monday when they were struck by a vehicle outside the LA Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The collision involving an orange Fiat 500 occurred on a plaza outside the convention halls. It was not immediately clear whether the vehicle involved in the crash was part of a test drive, which are being offered at this year's show.

Injuries to the victims, all adults, were described as minor to moderate, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The Fiat appeared to have struck a pole near Figueroa and 12th Streets. The car appeared to have front-end damage and a shattered windshield.

The LA Auto Show opened Friday. 

Thousands of students are taking swift action across Los Angeles following President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Local immigrant groups are asking people to reapply for their "deferred action for childhood arrivals" applications, if they're set to expire next year, in the hope that it could guarantee them another two years free from possible deportation.

"For so long Latinos said Trump can't win, Trump can't win," said  Erika Landa, a DACA recipient. "He's not going to win and it happened. He won."

Landa said she's living in a new reality now: Miles away from her family in Sacramento, and at risk of being deported.

"I'm afraid that they're going to take me, and there's going to be nothing I can do for them," she said, choking up.  

The separation happened when she went off to college, to Cal State Channel Islands.

"My parents are everything to me," she said. "They taught me to value education."

She said her parents warned her about what could happen, which is why they helped her sign up for DACA, President Obama's executive order of "deferred action for childhood arrivals." Landa was 2 when she came to the U.S.

"Immigration could take you away, and we're going to be too far to help you and so that fear has definitely come back," she said.

Now with President-elect Trump preparing to take the reigns, Landa and tens of thousands like her worry about what's next.

"DACA is an executive order issued by the president of the United States which can be undone by another president," said Nelson Castillo, an immigration attorney. "So if president-elect Trump wants to undo DACA, he has all the power to do it."

Castillo said he doesn't think it would be a good move politically for trump to cancel DACA outright. But he does think a Republican president with a Republican Congress could finally fix the broken immigration system.

"It can be done," Castillo said. "It should be done."

Meantime, he said, DACA recipients, and those looking to reapply now, like Landa, should remember the program was only meant to be temporary. And they have a lot of homework to do.

"If they knew that from the get-go, they shouldn't be panicking at this moment," Castillo said. "They should have already been working on other motives to obtain permanent residency."

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced a list of "executive actions" he plans to implement on the first day of his presidency meant to "restore our laws and bring back our jobs," NBC News reported. 

Trump said he will signal the United States' intention to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, roll back energy regulations, take steps to guard against cyber attacks, investigate visa program abuses and implement rules against members of his administration leaving to become lobbyists.

The Trump transition team created and distributed the video. Trump himself has not held a formal press conference in the 12 days since winning the election, and he has so far declined to allow journalists to participate in a formal "protective pool," which allows a small group of reporters to broadcast information about the movements of the president or president-elect.

The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) gathered with parents and community groups on Monday, pledging to keep their schools open and welcoming to all students. 

The meeting comes on the heels of the presidential election, which has left some students and their families feeling afraid, according to the school district.

"Students are understandably dealing with a lot of anxiety and outright fear as a result of the presidential election," said SDUSD Vice President, Richard Barrera.

Barrera told NBC 7 that Monday's rally was to send a message to President-elect Donald Trump that every student has a right to an education. He added that the meeting was not about politics.

"We've got young people who fear deportation, either of themselves or their family. We've got members of Muslim community who fear harassment and discrimination. We have members of the LGBTQIA who fear harassment and discrimination," Barrera said.

SDUSD Office of Family and Community Engagement is organizing a countywide rally on Dec. 14 in Old Town. The march is in support of communities who expressed their vulnerability after the election, the district said in a statement.

"Myself, Union leaders, we both got calls after the election from teachers int eh classroom, saying 'kids are coming to school, they're crying, they're afraid, they're worried,'" said SDUSD Superintendent Cindy Marten.

Marten added that the rally is a celbration of light, so students know there are resources available to them—that they understand what their rights are and who supports them.

Donnel Pumphrey is kind of a big deal.

People know him - mostly as an unbelievable running back who can make defenses look silly.

He might become even more famous in the next few weeks.

The San Diego State senior is one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award which recognizes the best NCAA running back every year. Dalvin Cook of Florida State and D’Onta Foreman of Texas join Pumphrey as the finalists.

You may wonder if the dreaded “East Coast Bias” may hurt Pumphrey’s chances to win the Doak Walker – or perhaps the Heisman Trophy – before the end of the calendar year.

But the fact that there is no Pac-12 contender for either of these awards could give Pumphrey a regional boost.

There is also no SEC running back among these three finalists which seems odd because usually an Alabama runner under Nick Saban’s watch is racing into the spotlight. Wyoming’s upset of SDSU may hurt the exposure that the Aztecs receive from the national media in the next couple of weeks but Pumphrey’s illustrious career at Montezuma Mesa speaks for itself.

Pumphrey may stand only 5’9” but his achievements on the football field keep piling up towards the ceiling.

He currently ranks second in the nation in rushing yards this season (1,855) and in all-purpose yards (2,058).

Even after the Cowboys held Pumphrey to a season-low 76 rushing yards Saturday, he still moved past Pittsburgh legend Tony Dorsett as the new No. 3 career rusher in NCAA history.

This of course after passing SDSU legend Marshall Faulk earlier this season for the program’s all-time rushing record – among other offensive marks.

In addition to the Doak Walker Award, the senior is also a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (top college player) and Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year Award.

And lest we forget, San Diego State University is campaigning for the star tailback to win the Heisman Trophy by using #Pumphrey4Heisman.

A few weeks ago on Sportscenter, ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt told a national TV audience he believed Pumphrey belongs in New York as a finalist for the Heisman.

“You’re telling me that there’s - let’s say - five people better in the country than this guy? No. Let’s get the man to New York.”

The Heisman will be awarded on December 12th in the Big Apple.

The Doak Walker Award winner will be announced on Thursday, December 8 in Atlanta.

Don’t be surprised if Pumphrey winds up toting some heavy hardware back to America’s Finest City.

In fact there’s a chance he wins all four of the awards mentioned in this article. I'm not even mad - that would be amazing.

At least one person was trapped after a single vehicle crash in University City Monday night, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed.

The crash occurred around 10:08 p.m. on Centurion Square and Genesee Avenue. 

According to SDPD, the vehicle may have crashed into a light pole.

The driver was extricated and taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with a broken femur.

Witnesses told NBC 7 they saw two cars driving at a high rate of speed at Nobel Drive and Genesee Avenue. When they got down to Centurion Square, they saw a car cut in half by light pole with the driver trapped inside.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

A Normal Heights neighborhood says they are fed up with squatters taking over a vacant home and causing extensive damage.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) told NBC 7 that the homeowner has gotten them involved to help protect the property.

Squatters have left behind broken screens, trash piled inside and out of the home.

"They have trashed that home. The place smells like urine, there's feces everywhere, there's trash everywhere and the inside is disgusting," said one neighbor who did not want to be identified.

"If they're willing to do that to a property that doesn't have anything in it, what do you think they'll do to a property that does have something in it," another neighbor said.

He added: "We've had the police out here on several occasions, it's my understanding they've made several arrests, but it's an ongoing problem and it happens every night."

The home is usually rented out.

NBC 7 spoke with the property manager who told us it has been empty for the last month and a half because the City needs to replace pipes outside the home. When the owner found out about the squatting situation, he contacted police.

But neighbors say they are still on edge.

"When I leave in the morning, I have to be honest with you, I worry about my own home, I worry about the homes around here, the break-ins, because I don't know who these people are," a neighbor said.

SDPD told NBC 7, officers have come to the house three times over the past week. They were only able to make two arrests before receiving the letter of authorization because those individuals had outstanding warrants.

The owner has since give a letter of authorization to SDPD, allowing officers to come onto the property at any time and make neccessary arrests.

Business owners can also issue that letter of authorization to police which allows officers to kick out anyone who is trespassing on the property.

The property manager says the owner will have to pay for all of the damage the trespassers have done at the house.

As President-elect Donald Trump builds his White House team, one of America's most powerful black moguls was among the high-profile names who visited him on Sunday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, NBC News reports. 

The private club, set on nearly 600 acres complete with a helipad, was the setting for a discussion that Robert L. `Bob' Johnson— chairman of The RLJ Companies, and co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET)—had with Trump and several members of his inner circle.

Johnson said that he outlined a series of economic strategies that have the potential to uplift African-Americans across the board, including tax incentives to lure corporations back into inner cities and create jobs and putting more money into African-American banks and ensuring they have ample capital in order to lend and promote community development. 

Another idea on the table: establishing an Office of Urban and Minority Affairs in the White House.

It was a good homecoming for Malik Pope.

The Sacramento native scored the first six points of the game in his season debut against California.

He finished with 14 before fouling out in his first action after missing three games with a knee injury.

The game was being played at the Golden 1 Center which is the new NBA home of the Kings.

Jeremy Hemsley led the Aztecs with 15 points.

Matt Shrigley knocked down three treys – including a bank shot in the first half to help SDSU build a 42-25 halftime lead.

Trey Kell and Matt Hoetzel each added 11 while Victor Izundu also got some playing time but collected only three rebounds and four fouls in 19 minutes of action.

With the big win, the Aztecs improved to 3-1 while the Bears fell to 2-1. SDSU is now undefeated when playing in an NBA arena this season.

Next up for the Aztecs is a Monday evening contest against Savannah State on November 28 at Viejas Arena.

A horse sanctuary non-profit in Pine Valley is hoping the person(s) responsible for taking two of their golf carts, worth an estimated $15,000, will return the carts to their rightful home. 

On Nov. 18, The Horses of Tir Na Nog, a volunteer-powered non-profit organization, posted on Facebook to tell their Facebook followers that overnight on Nov. 18, someone crept onto the ranch and stole two of their golf carts. 

The organization, based in Pine Valley, works to create a safe space and better life for horses that have few remaining options left, according to their site. 

They use one of the golf carts for feeding the horses, according to a Facebook post. The other was slated to replace one of their other worn-out work carts. 

"It takes a special kind of person to steal from horses rescued from abuse and neglect! We do what we do on a bare bones, no frills budget," the non-profit wrote on Facebook.

Without theft insurance, the loss sets them back $15,000 to replace the two carts. 

They are hoping the person or persons who stole the cart will have a change of heart and return them. 

"If the person who took our carts is reading this, do the right thing and bring them back!" the non-profit wrote.

No other information was immediately available.

The Sonic drive-in on Mission Gorge Road in Santee was closed due to a mice infestation on Friday, but reopened on Saturday, the San Diego County Communications Office confirmed.

The San Diego County Department of Public Health (DPH) shut the drive-in down at around 4 p.m. after an inspection prompted by a tip.

According to a communications officer with the county, a “significant” amount of cleaning and sanitizing must be done before the DPH will come back for a follow-up inspection.

After a thorough cleaning, the Sonic drive-in was allowed to reopen on Saturday after no mice were found.

A Sonic spokesperson said they took the situation "extremely seriously" and brought in pest control to rid the restaurant of mice.

According to the DPH, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health investigated the drive-in in December after receiving reports of vermin, but found nothing.

Students and staff at two San Diego high schools may have been exposed to tuberculosis in two new, unrelated cases.

According to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), individuals at Sweetwater High School were exposed to TB between July 20 and Oct. 20. 

Students and staff at Serra High School may also have been exposed to TB between Aug. 29 and Nov. 7.

HHSA says the two cases are not related.

Officials from Sweetwater High and HHSA are notifying any individuals that may be affected. There will be free testing for students and staff on Nov. 29 at Sweetwater High and Dec. 5 for Serra High.

“Tuberculosis is a contagious but preventable and curable disease that spreads through the air. Most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease," said County public health officer, Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include fever, weight loss, night sweats and a persistent cough.

According to HSSA, there were 234 reported cases of TB in San Diego County in 2015.

Donald Trump held court from his perch high above Manhattan on Monday, receiving a line of former rivals, longtime allies and TV executives while overseeing a presidential transition that at times resembles a reality show like the one he once hosted.

Trump met with nearly a dozen prospective hires, all of whom were paraded in front of the cameras set up in the Trump Tower lobby as they entered an elevator to see the president-elect. Out of public view himself, he fell back on his TV star roots by filming a video that touted his legislative goals once he takes office.

Trump; did not immediately announce any appointments after the meetings, which came on the heels of a two-day whirlwind of interviews at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Unlike his predecessors, who often spoke with Cabinet candidates under a cloud of secrecy, Trump has turned the search into a very public audition process. The extraordinary exercise took on a routine feel on Monday: First, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown stepped off the gold-plated elevator into the marble-coated lobby after his meeting to declare to waiting reporters that he was "the best person" to become Veterans Affairs secretary.

Next, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a candidate for interior secretary, did much the same, striding off the lift to say she had "a wonderful discussion" with Trump. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry declined to speak to reporters, but he did take time for a photo with the Naked Cowboy, the underwear-sporting, guitar-strumming New York institution who is normally a fixture at Times Square but has spent recent days camped out at Trump Tower singing about the president-elect.

Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned her post on the Democratic National Committee after endorsing Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton, also met with Trump but entered and exited out of sight. She later defended crossing party lines to meet with Trump about U.S. involvement in Syria, saying in a statement she would never "play politics with American and Syrian lives."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump ally, also arrived with his wife, Callista, and told reporters that he indicated to Trump that he was interested in being a "senior planner" to coordinate long-term political efforts among the Republicans in control of all three branches of government.

Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said of the visitors, "Not all of them will be in his Cabinet and his federal government, but they are all incredibly important in offering their points of views, their experience and certainly their vision of the country."

No one was saying whether Trump would announce more appointments before heading to Florida for Thanksgiving. He was planning to leave Tuesday or Wednesday to spend the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate, while Vice President-elect Mike Pence will spend Thanksgiving in Mississippi, where his Marine son is stationed.

Trump has largely remained out of sight since winning the election, save for a flurry of brief public appearances over the weekend, often with Pence at his side, to flash thumbs-ups and provide quick updates on his progress in building a government. He remained in the upper floors of his skyscraper Monday, seeking counsel on the phone and interviewing candidates all while keeping an eye on the cable news coverage of the day's events.

He appeared in a two-and-a-half minute video released late Monday in which he pledged to the American people that he was appointing "patriots" to his administration and reiterated a number of his campaign promises, including plans to renegotiate trade deals, scrap excessive regulations and institute a five-year ban on executive officials becoming lobbyists.

The video — which made no mention of key pledges to build a border wall with Mexico or repeal the Affordable Care Act — continues the president-elect's practice of trying to go over the heads of the media and take his case directly to the American public. Since Election Day, he has twice ditched the group of reporters designated to follow his movements and has so far eschewed the traditional news conference held by the president-elect in the days after winning.

Trump has not held a full-fledged news conference since July.

But the media were clearly on his mind as he met with executives and on-air personalities from TV networks. He frequently singled out the media — declaring them "so dishonest" — for criticism during the campaign, but it's not unusual for presidents to hold off-the-record meetings with journalists when trying to promote policies or programs.

Among the attendees were NBC anchor Lester Holt and "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd, ABC's "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos and anchor David Muir, CBS' "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson, CNN's Wolf Blitzer and several executives at the networks.

None of the attendees would discuss the meeting with reporters in the lobby, though Conway said it was "very cordial, very productive, very congenial."

Those Trump met with over the weekend included former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a former critic now being considered for secretary of state; retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, who Trump dubbed an "impressive" prospect for defense secretary, and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, who is under consideration for Commerce secretary.

"We've made a couple of deals," Trump said Sunday. He gave assurances that "incredible meetings" would be bringing "incredible people" into the government.

A Fallbrook community banded together to help a resident whose car was vandalized two days after the historical election of Donald J. Trump. 

The 82-year-old man, who did not want to go on camera for fear of retaliation, said he had his car parked outside the Silvergate Retirement Residence on the 400 block of Elbrook Drive. 

When he walked outside on Nov. 10, just two days after the election, he discovered his car had been vandalized. The words "[Expletive] Trump" had been spray painted on the right side of his silver four door sedan. 

On the back, the vandal spray painted "666". 

The victim filed a report with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) at 9:29 a.m. The car did not have any political stickers on it.

After news of the vandalism spread, the community worked together to help get a restoration company to make his car look like new again. 

No arrests have been made in the case. 

One person has died following a rainy crash on State Route 67 after a car spun out and slammed into another car, shutting down the freeway for hours, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers said. 

The crash happened at approximately 1:08 p.m. Monday on the North County highway, near Cloudy Moon Road. The crash prompted a Sig Alert as crews shut down northbound and southbound lanes, but the highway has since been reopened. 

An 18-year-old driver behind the wheel of her 2004 Chevy Trailblazer as heading southbound on SR 67 at approximately 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

At the same time, a 25-year-old Ramona resident was driving a 2016 Hyundai Tucson northbound approaching Cloudy Moon Drive. A 26-year-old passenger and 54-year-old woman were also in the Hyundai. 

The driver of the Chevy, driving "at an unsafe speed for the current wet conditions", slide sideways out of control, into the other car's path, according to CHP officer Kevin Pearlstein. 

The Hyundai driver had no time to react to the car, and the vehicles collided in the northbound lanes. 

All four involved were taken to Palomar Hospital. The 54-year-old passenger succumbed to her injuries and died, Pearlstein said. It is unclear what injuries the other victims faced, Pearlstein said. 

Alcohol and drugs were not a factor. 

No other information was immediately available.

County health officials plan to hand spray a section of the Nestor neighborhood after a patient contracted the virus in a travel-related case.

The Nestor resident recently traveled abroad to a country where tropical, mosquito-borne illnesses, such as the Zika virus, are actively spreading. Officials say the mosquitoes and larvae that can carry the Zika virus were found near the patient's residence.

This marks the tenth area sprayed to prevent the spread of Zika virus in San Diego County this year.

County crews plan to spray the neighborhood to prevent invasive Aedes mosquitoes from potentially spreading the Zika virus. County crews will go door-to-door through the neighborhood Wednesday, to inform residents about the hand-spraying and teach them how to avoid creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

In a neighborhood covering about nine acres of land, crews will spray south of the Interstate 5 and State Route 905 interchange, which will take place around Pikake Street, Deep Haven Lane, Lawndale Street and Quadra Avenue.

There are two types of invasive Aedes mosquitoes that have been spotted in San Diego County that are capable of carrying the Zika virus, but none have been documented actively carrying the virus in the region or California, according to County health officials.

Invasive Aedes mosquitoes like to live and breed near people, in the standing water in backyards and even inside homes, said officials. They are more likely than native species to bite during the day, rather than at night. All mosquitoes in the area like to bite around dawn and dusk.

Shoppers at Horton Plaza mall in downtown San Diego were jarred Tuesday when police officers swarmed the mall, running after an armed woman who was reported to be suicidal.

The woman fired shots at the shopping center, hurting herself, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said. No one else was harmed. At 3:30 p.m., police confirmed the woman had died from her wounds.

Shoppers scrambled to safety and ran for cover as they tried to make sense of the heavy police activity at the mall. One man told NBC 7 he heard a loud "pop" as officers approached the woman.

"I saw one cop -- he had his gun drawn. I couldn't really see much else, and then I heard one big 'pop,' and then I just got down after that," the witness told NBC 7. "It was kind of scary."

"I'm glad I'm on high blood pressure medicine," said another witness, who heard the shots and was relieved to hear no one else was wounded. "I can't run, so I would have to go under those steps because I walk slow -- I can't run. It was scary; it was surreal, sort of."

According to police, the commotion at the mall began around 11:45 a.m. when an SDPD officer spotted a woman in a car in the downtown San Diego area who had been reported as suicidal earlier in the day.The officer followed the woman’s car into the Horton Plaza parking structure.

The woman exited her car and ran into the mall. Believing the woman was armed, officers ran after her. Police found the woman in the mall and, moments later, the police department said shots were fired.

The woman hurt herself with a self-inflicted gunshot, police said.

NBC 7 news crews saw officers surrounding the woman near a Gap store on one of the upper levels of the mall. Medics were called to Horton Plaza and the wounded woman was rushed to a local hospital just after 12 p.m. 

Many people were at Horton Plaza at the time of the incident, as holiday shopping season is under way. At one point during the incident, police evacuated shoppers from one part of the mall.

A couple shopping at Jimbo's at the time of the incident said people were frantically rushing into the grocery store because they didn't know where the gunshots were coming from or what was happening. The couple said people were taken to the back of the store, as a precaution, until police said it was safe to leave.

The woman's name was not immediately released.