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Triathlon Honors Fallen SDPD Officer Jeremy Henwood

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Locals gathered Saturday morning for an indoor triathlon and fundraiser that served as a tribute to a beloved San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officer killed in the line of duty.

The 2017 Tri-N-Harder-4-Kids event brought a large group to the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla for a 10-minute pool swim, a 20-minute cycling session on stationary bikes and a 15-minute run on treadmills. The triathlon was hosted by STAR/PAL, in partnership with the SDPD, in memory of fallen officer Jeremy Henwood.

In early August 2011, San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Henwood was critically shot while patrolling in City Heights. Dejon Marquee, a 23-year-old man with a death wish, pulled up alongside the officer’s patrol car and opened fire in the deadly, unprovoked attack.

Moments before Henwood was shot, the officer had stopped to eat at a McDonald’s on Fairmount Avenue. There, the officer noticed a boy who was hungry and short on change. In his final act of kindness before his death, Henwood bought cookies for the boy. The two shared a smile and some small talk, and Henwood told the boy to work hard. The tender moment was caught on surveillance tape and is remembered by many San Diegans.

In the spirit of Henwood’s kindness and generosity, SDPD officers hoped Saturday’s triathlon would help children in need in San Diego.

Donations pledged to the event benefitted STAR/PAL youth programs in underserved communities and the San Diego Police Officer Association’s Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, which helps families of fallen officers and officers injured on duty.

“Officer Henwood and fellow like-minded officers, whose generosity and passion to support local youth, are invaluable & critical to the STAR/PAL mission,” organizers of the triathlon said in a press release.

More than five years have passed since Henwood, also a U.S. Marine who completed three tours of service in the Middle East, was killed in the line of duty. If he were alive today, he’d be just 42 years old.

Today, a park named after Henwood stands in City Heights, dedicated to the slain officer's life of service.



Photo Credit: San Diego Police Department

Trump’s Refugee Order Will Impact Aid Efforts in San Diego

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President Donald Trump’s executive order to bar refugees from entering the United States will impact efforts to aid refugees in San Diego.

When signing the order Friday, Trump pledged it was to “keep radical Islamic terrorists” out of the U.S. It bars all refugees from entering for four months and indefinitely halts any refugees from Syrian from entering the U.S.

In San Diego, one organization will feel the impact of the president’s actions right away.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego, a facility in Kearny Mesa, helps about 500 refugees each year. Most of the refugees who settle in San Diego are from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Now, the services provided by the facility to those refugees are in limbo.

“We pick up families at the airport, we bring them to an apartment that’s already been set up for them,” explained Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Hopkins told NBC 7 on Friday that he thinks targeting refugees hailing from Muslim countries is not the way to go.

“Now many are worried whether they will ever be reunited with their brothers and sisters and family members,” he said.

Some locals, however, applaud Trump’s swift efforts to tighten the nation’s borders.

“My heart goes out to them [refugees], but we have poor children here too,” Santee resident Gloria Gomez told NBC 7, adding that the U.S. should now shift its focus to helping Americans first.

“I get real emotional. Why can’t we go downtown and do the same for our Vets?” she added.

Gomez said security should come first.

“How many in that group are ISIS men? Women, now, or even using kids?” she said, referring to refugees who have entered the U.S. in recent years.

But Hopkins disagrees.

“Because someone is born somewhere else and is fleeing persecution and trying to start a better life – [now] our borders are closed,” he said.

Although the refugee program will be suspended for now, Trump said he would make exceptions for Christian refugees from Syrian who are fleeing from persecution.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Trump Immigration Order Triggers Protests at US Airports

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Demonstrations are taking place at several airports across America over President Trump's travel ban regarding immigrants.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Congressman Honors Students Headed to US Service Academies

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In a proud ceremony on Saturday morning, U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) honored 30 San Diego-area high school students on their way to United States service academies.

Peters nominated nine students to West Point, 10 to the Naval Academy, eight to the Air Force Academy and three to the Merchant Marine Academy. The students applied through the congressman’s office and interviewed with an independent panel of academy graduates, service members, veterans, and academic leaders.

One of the most difficult parts about getting into America’s service academies is being nominated by a member of Congress.

Peters, one of five congressmen or woman in San Diego County welcomed his nominees Saturday at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCAS). Members of Congress have limited nominations, so Peters used a panel to make the process more transparent.

So, who are some of these young men and women?

Influenced by his Coronado roots and fueled by his desire to join the military, high school student Max Stangl told NBC 7 he was thrilled to receive his nomination for acceptance to the Air Force Academy.

“Being able to save lives and also being in the Air Force is kind of something I’ve always dreamed of doing, and really make a difference,” Stangl explained.

Stangl said he wants to be a combat rescue officer.

“You're out there saving lives in a combat environment or a civilian environment, at home or abroad, being able to save lives and being in the air force is something that always drove me to it," he added.

Fellow honoree Kate Asaro also shares the same determined spirit as she embarks on her own military career. She was one of the few young women in Peters’ group.

Last week, the Mount Carmel High School accepted her offer of admission to the Naval Academy. She looks forward to the rewarding, yet challenging years ahead.

“Everyone has told me that they break you down just to build you back up,” she told NBC 7. “I’m there to be built up, so if they have to break my down, that’s what they got to do.”

La Jolla High School senior Luke Stojic received his nomination for the Merchant Marine Academy.

"I was told by a lot of Naval Academy graduates and a lot of military personnel, it's a best kept secret in America; it's a great college for engineering,” he told NBC 7.

During the ceremony, Peters described how these nominees not only met the requirements of the academies, but also embodied the values attributed to the men and women who serve our U.S. military.

“Even though academic preparation is essential, there are many other qualities that make a great applicant -- character, leadership, motivation, passion, and service,” he said.

Different backgrounds, talents and interests but, together, part of a promising group looking to represent America.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Trump Travel Restrictions Prompt Protests at Airports Across US

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Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order clamping down on refugee admissions and temporarily restricting travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the impact was already resonating at airports around the world.

The Trump administration has yet to issue guidance to airports and airlines on how to implement the executive order. "Nobody has any idea what is going on," a senior Homeland Security official told NBC News.

Protesters gathered at John F. Kennedy Airport where 12 refugees were detained Saturday. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance said Saturday that it would stop all pickups at JFK from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET in solidarity with protesters. 

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said that a family was detained at Dulles International Airport, where demonstrators were also gathering.

West coast activists were set to host a #MuslimBan protest at 3 p.m. PST Saturday at the international arrivals section of San Francisco International Airport. Protesters are expected to be carrying signs that say #NotInOurName, #NeverAgain, END the #MuslimBan and I STAND WITH MUSLIM TRAVELERs, according to an event page.

Protests were also set for Los Angeles International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and various others throughout the country.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.



Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Issa Proposes Plan to Replace Affordable Care Act

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President Donald Trump’s administration has promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and now, a congressman in San Diego is proposing a new health care plan to Congress.

Congressman Darrell Issa is one of the first Republicans to propose a replacement plan. In an interview Saturday, he told NBC 7 he calls his plan “The Access to Insurance for All Americans Act.”

The plan would give people access to the federal employee health benefit plan that government employees use. It calls for no mandates on businesses and individuals.

Issa’s plan would keep a popular aspect of Obamacare: guaranteed coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.

NBC 7 spoke with San Diegans Saturday about the proposal. In the North County, residents had mixed feelings about what people want in a national health coverage plan.

“I think making sure that people have choices is important,” one person said. “I think also having our kids covered until they’re 26 – that’s important. I also think [coverage for] pre-existing conditions are important.”

“Now that we have the accessibility, now we need affordability,” said local Eric Carlson.

“I just think everyone is entitled to have health care, regardless of how we pay for it,” one man told NBC 7. “We’re America; we should be able to take care of people, including our veterans.”

Issa said his plan offers more choices.

“The federal employees, the bureaucrats, if you will, who write the laws, over 11 million of them enjoy a health care system that has over 200 choices – [that] has national affordability, has no pre-existing conditions, has no age discrimination,” Issa said.

The congressional budget office reports that tens of millions of people could lose insurance if there is no replacement for Obamacare.

In the coming week, more Republicans will likely present their own replacement plans.

Read Issa’s full proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act, here.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

'Protect Immigrants': Organizers Gather at San Diego Airport

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Holding up signs that read “Give me your tired and huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” “Protect Immigrants” and “Build a wall – We will tear it down,” a group from the San Diego Women’s club are demonstrators President Trump’s refugee and immigration bans at Lindbergh Field.

With children holding signs of their own they shouted "No hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here!" 

The demonstrators congregated in front on the airport’s International Terminal, in solidarity with demonstrations spanning the country from JFK airport in New York to Dulles airport in Virginia to LAX and San Francisco.

The San Diego chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union also sent out a Tweet telling anyone who is detained at the San Diego airport because of the order to call 619-398-4485.

"This isn't right and when something's not right you have to put it right and you have to use your voice and you have to use your body and tell somebody this isn't right," a woman from Carlsbad, who brought her nine-year-old daughter to the demonstration, told NBC 7. "We've experienced this before. 'Never forget' is now," she said in reference to the Holocaust. 

The order, signed by the president Friday, bans immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, indefinitely blocks all Syrian refugees and suspends all refugee entries for 120 days.



Photo Credit: NBC 7
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Judge Blocks Trump Immigration Order

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A federal judge blocked the government from deporting immigrants being held due to President Donald Trump's executive immigration order, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the complaint, told MSNBC's Chris Hayes.

The stay applies only to those currently within the U.S., but not to anyone who tries to come to the U.S. going forward. And it does not mean detainees will be released, only that they can't be deported, according to ACLU attorneys.

This is a developing story. Please stay tuned for updates.


Rep. Scott Peters Vows to Fight Trump Immigration Ban

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San Diego Congressman Scott Peters (D-52) condemned President Trump’s executive action banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days, according to a statement from his office Saturday.

His statement reads:

“President Trump’s order to shut the door on families fleeing violence and oppression betrays our values as Americans.

“So-called ‘extreme-vetting’ has always been cover for policies based in fear and discrimination, particularly towards Muslims.

“Our rigorous vetting processes, which often take years to complete even for women and children, are the reason we don’t have to choose between security and being a haven for those seeking freedom and prosperity in America.

“Refusing to accept refugees from Syria and blocking entry to interpreters who helped us in Iraq gives terrorist groups like ISIS exactly what they want, and will set us back in our efforts to bring peace and stability to the region.

“Barring legal travel from Muslim nations does nothing to make us safer and is unbelievably cruel to the students, scientists, and families who are building lives here and contributing to the fabric of our nation. This provision, as well as the suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Program, open us up to retaliation from other countries that will divide families and wreak havoc on businesses and universities.

“Immigrants and refugees have made America into what it is today, and closing our doors to them diminishes our role as a global force for peace and robs us of talented individuals that make our nation stronger and more prosperous.

“I have to believe that many of my Republican colleagues know how wrong this is and how it will hurt our national security and our economy. I call on them to do the right thing – the courageous thing – and work with us to unwind this disastrous order.”

Along with the seven-country immigration ban, the order would also stop the admission of any refugees for 120 days, indefinitely suspend refugee admissions from Syria and suspend the Visa Interview Waiver program, which allows citizens from European and Asian nations to obtain visas to travel to the United States without an interview.

By Saturday evening, a nationwide stay was granted in a legal challenge brought by the ACLU, blocking the government from deporting people detained in the U.S. due to the president's order. 

NBC 7 reached out to Rep. Darrell Issa and Rep. Duncan Hunter’s offices, but have yet to hear back.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Bride's Iranian Family May be Banned From CA Wedding

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Is Nassim Alisobhani excited about her wedding?

“I think I counted it was like 110,” Alisobhani tells NBC 7.

That's days...yes – she has a countdown clock. It's May 20th, for those who don't want to do the math. 

“She's a planner - finishing her third year of law school. She's detail oriented,” Alisobhani’s mother says of her daughter who also lives in Orange County.

The bride, an Iranian-American Muslim, and her Jewish fiancé thought figuring out how to combine each family’s religious traditions into their wedding would be the hardest part, but after inviting more than 400 guests and finding the perfect venue, it’s likely nearly one-third of Alisobhani and her fiancé’s guests - Alisobhani’s Iranian-born family - may be banned from coming.

“Everything is so uncertain right now,” she says.

On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travel from Iran and six other majority-Muslim countries, as well as temporarily suspending the U.S. refugee program.

“It's heartbreaking,” Alisobhani says. “Part of the reason I wanted a huge wedding was so all of my family could be together … My mom came here in 1977 and her siblings haven't been in one place since she left Iran.”

At her mother’s wedding in 1986 almost none of her family was able to attend for the same reason. Now her wedding is the family's chance at a do-over.

“I think it's more certain that they are not coming than them coming, which is just devastating,” she says emotionally.

Alisobhani says they tried to prepare for stricter rules: Members of her family who didn't have green cards applied for visas.

“Now, they just halted it completely,” she laments. “I don't know what's going to happen.”

This new ban, she explains, is part of a stigma her family has tried to shed for years. “Most of them left Iran as a result of the revolution and so to basically to be tied back to this regime is just so heartbreaking because it's just not fair to them.”

Airbnb Offers Stranded Refugees Free Shelter

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Airbnb, the company that advertises short-term housing rentals online, announced Saturday that it would give free quarter to travelers barred from boarding U.S. flights who are not in their city of residence. 

The announcement was made the same day protests formed at U.S. airports over an executive order signed by President Trump that shuts U.S. borders to seven Muslim-majority nations for 90 days. The executive order also bans all refugees from entering the United States for four months, and indefinitely halted any from Syria.

The company's co-founder, Brian Chesky, announced the move on Facebook Sunday, calling the order "not right." 

"Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right, and we must stand with those who are affected," he wrote. 

"Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone else who needs it in the event they are denied the ability to board a US-bound flight and are not in your city/country of residence. We have 3M homes, so we can definitely find people a place to stay."

The post was "liked" on Facebook more than 28,000 times by Sunday morning, including by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Some Republicans Question Trump's Immigration Order

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President Donald Trump's immigration order is getting pushback from some Republicans in Congress, even as officials from Trump's administration insist it's a small price to pay to keep the nation safe.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said Sunday that it would be best for the new president to "slow down" and work with lawmakers on how best to tighten screening for foreigners who enter the United States.

Portman said everyone should "take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense for our national security" and reflects the fact that "'America's always been a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants." He said America is "this beacon of hope and opportunity for the rest of the world" and should remain that way.

The comments came the morning after a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from seven majority Muslim nations subject to Trump's travel ban. The judge said travelers who had been detained had a strong argument that their legal rights had been violated.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement early Sunday that said the court ruling would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order and it affected a relatively small number of travelers who were inconvenienced by security procedures upon their return. Trump's aides insist the judgment has little impact.

Trump's order, which also suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and bars the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, has sparked major protests, including at several of the nation's international airports. It also puts Republicans who criticized Trump's initial campaign proposal to block foreign Muslims from entering the country in a tough spot.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he supports more stringent screening mechanisms, but cautioned that Muslims are some of the country's "best sources in the war against terror."

"I think it's a good idea to tighten the vetting process But I also think it's important to remember that some of our best sources in the war against radical Islamic terrorism are Muslims, both in this country and overseas," he said.

He stressed the need "to be careful as we do this," and said it would be up to the courts to decide "whether or not this has gone too far."

Trump, meanwhile, took to Twitter to defend his actions, and his aides insisted the new measures were a small price to pay to keep the nation safe.

"Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW," Trump wrote. "Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!"

The emergency order was issued by U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in New York on Saturday night after lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a court petition on behalf of people from the seven predominantly Muslim nations who were detained at airports across the country as the ban took effect.

The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the U.S. with a valid visa from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application.

It was unclear how quickly the judge's order might affect people in detention, or whether it would allow others to resume flying.

"Realistically, we don't even know if people are going to be allowed onto the planes," ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said. "This order would protect people who they allow to come here and reach U.S. soil."

Trump billed his sweeping executive order as a necessary step to stop "radical Islamic terrorists" from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.

The directive did not do anything to prevent attacks from homegrown extremists who were already in America, a primary concern of federal law enforcement officials. It also omitted Saudi Arabia, home to most of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Trump is scheduled to speak Sunday with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Portman was on CNN's "State of the Union," while McConnell appeared on ABC's "This Week."



Photo Credit: AP

Torrey Pines Road Crash May Stall Farmers Insurance Traffic

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If you are heading to the Farmers Insurance Open this morning, be warned: a crash on North Torrey Pines Road may have an impact on your journey. 

The northbound lanes on North Torrey Pines Road from John Hopkins to Callan Road are closed as a result of a Sunday morning crash. 

A Sig Alert has been issued for the crash, which happened after 9 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers said. 

Farmers Insurance Open attendees are being ask to allow for extra time due to traffic. 

Scripps A parking pass holders coming northbound on Genesee and North Pines Road must enter the garage by making a left at John Hopkins.

For those coming southbound, you can follow the normal route.

For those with Scripps B parking passes, follow the normal route.



Photo Credit: Monica Garske

Green Card Holders Won't Be Barred Under Order: Priebus

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White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus muddied the waters on President Donald Trump's new executive order barring immigration from select countries, saying Sunday it "doesn't include green card holders going forward" but adding that anyone traveling back and forth from the countries in question will be subject to further screening, including U.S. citizens, NBC News reported.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Priebus was asked about reports that the executive order affected green card holders, contrary to recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security.

"We didn't overrule the Department of Homeland Security, as far as green card holders moving forward, it doesn't affect them," Priebus first said. But when pressed by host Chuck Todd on whether it impacts green card holders, Priebus reversed himself, saying, "Well, of course it does. If you're traveling back and forth, you're going to be subjected to further screening."



Photo Credit: AP

Dozens of Traffic Lights Out in San Marcos Amid Outage: SDSO

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More than 1,000 customers are without power after a combination of factors caused a problem in the electric system, according to San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). 

The outage happened at 8:26 a.m. and power is estimated to be restored at 12:30 p.m., according to SDG&E. 

Customers affected are in the West San Marcos, Twin Oaks, Lawrence Welk, Hidden Meadows and Buena communities. 

Sheriff's officials say several traffic light signals are out, including along Twin Oaks Valley Road. Sheriff's deputies said there is a widespread power outage north of State Route 78. 

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 


Protests Erupt Nationwide for Second Day Over Travel Ban

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Thousands of protesters gathered at airports and cities nationwide for a second day on Sunday to decry President Donald Trump's executive order that temporarily restricts entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries and indefinitely bans Syrian refugees from crossing into the country, NBC News reported.

Within 24 hours of Trump signing the executive order, its impact was resonating worldwide as officials struggled to interpret Trump's decision — leaving refugees and immigrants who had already been vetted and approved to enter the country detained at airports and stuck in legal limbo.

A dozen people who landed in the U.S. after Trump signed the executive order were detained and some were separated from their families at New York's John F. Kennedy international Airport on Friday, according to lawmakers and attorneys. Two of the detained were Iraqi refugees and one — identified as Hameed Khalid Darweesh — was an interpreter working with the U.S. government for a decade, according to his attorneys.



Photo Credit: AP

San Ysidro Port of Entry Closed, Traffic Diverted, Again

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For the fourth weekend in a row, protests along the U.S.-Mexico border have shut down the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Southbound Interstate 5 and SB I-805 are closed at State Route 905, Caltrans officials said. Traffic is being diverted. 

Those looking to cross into Mexico will have to go to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. 

In Tijuana, Mexico, protesters continue to voice their objections to a sudden hike in gas prices in Mexico: 20 percent in one day.

For the past four weekends, the San Ysidro port of entry has closed for several hours in the southbound direction.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Customers Lash Out at Uber Amid Anti-Travel Ban Protests

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On Saturday, The New York City Taxi Workers Alliance called for a temporary halt to rides heading to John F. Kennedy airport. Several immigrant detainees were being held at a terminal there before being released when a judge intervened to block parts of Trump's executive order.

Uber continued to carry passengers to the airport. The company announced shortly after 730pm Eastern that it would temporarily suspend surge pricing, but it was too late.

Users—angered by the fact that the company didn't completely halt service in solidarity—lashed out by vowing to delete their Uber applications.

A spokesperson contacted by CNBC said Uber was "sorry for any confusion about our earlier tweet—it was not meant to break up any strike. We wanted people to know they could use Uber to get to and from JFK at normal prices, especially last night."

In response to a growing controversy, Uber announced it would create a $3 million defense fund to help cover the legal expenses associated with the executive order.



Photo Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

The Close Friends Behind Freaky Friday's Mom-Daughter Duo

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The first time Emma Hunton and Heidi Blickenstaff met, they felt an instant connection. 

"I don't want to speak for you, but I know that you feel the same way," said Hunton, who plays Ellie in Disney's upcoming Freaky Friday the Musical at the La Jolla Playhouse. "When we met it was kind of just like, 'Oh hi, friend.'"

"It was very fast," agreed Blickenstaff, who plays Ellie's mother in the musical.

The two had never met before when they started rehearsing for the musical, written by Bridget Carpenter ('Friday Night Lights', 'Parenthood') with music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey ('If/Then', 'Next to Normal').

But when they first were introduced at The Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C., the venue where the musical had its first run, the pair said they instantly felt a kinship. 

"I think we were really lucky because that chemistry is like, just sort of, it is or it isn't. You get lucky or you don't," Blickenstaff said. "We got lucky that we just sort of were the ying to each other's yang."

For the pair, who play a mother-daughter duo who swap bodies in a freaky twist, that instant connection was more than just a friendship. 

"There was an immediate unspoken trust between us," Blickenstaff explained in an interview with NBC 7 at the Playhouse. "We work very similarly, we dive in, we do our homework."

Throughout the show's run at the Signature Theatre and to the La Jolla Playhouse, Blickenstaff and Hunton say they have become friends. Like a mother and daughter would in real life, the pair say they have grown close - and they are there for each other when it gets tough. 

"When one of us is not feeling so good for whatever reason, either vocally or just, you know, it's hard to do eight shows a week, we always say to each other, 'I've got you. I've totally got you,'" Blickenstaff said. "I couldn't do it without her, because this show is too hard to get in and out of each other's skin to not trust each other."

One night, for example, Hunton said, she was feeling really sick during the show. Right before her big end-of-the-night solo, she said, she worried about whether she would be able to make it through the song. 

"It got to my big 11 o'clock number and Heidi was in the wings, singing it with me, and cheering me on," Hunton recalled. "It was the only way I got through it."

Blickenstaff smiled as Hunton told the story. "Both of us want to not only to be there for each other, but I think, she raises the bar, I meet her there, I raise the bar, she meets me there," she explained.

"We make each other better," Hunton chimed in.

The end result, they say, is a relationship as real off stage as it is on stage. 

"I think that that shows up for audiences," Blickenstaff said. "People can see the relationship is real."

The Path to 'Freaky Friday'
Hunton and Blickenstaff both had long paths to 'Freaky Friday.'

Blickenstaff first played Katherine more than five years ago when another composer was attached to the project. She was called in for a week-long event where actors learned the music and did a cold reading of the script. 

"I remember thinking at that reading, this project is very special," she said. Blickenstaff was in her mid-30s at the time and knew she was a bit young for the role, she recalled, but wanted to be involved if something happened later down the line.

She would keep her eye out for it, she told herself.

And then, years later, she heard Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey were working on the music and lyrics - but a different actress was attached to the project. Then, through the grapevine, she learned the actress had left for a different project. 

Blickenstaff got in touch with Kitt, who she knew casually at the time, expressing her interest. 

Three weeks later, she got an offer to come on board for the Signature Theatre run. 

"I'm never right for anything and I knew that I was right for this. You know it sounds very, I guess it could come off egotistical, but it wasn't about ego. It was just, I had a Heidi sense about it," Blickenstaff said.

Hunton said she first heard about the musical when she was working on a concert with the previous composer - and stumbled upon the sheet music. 

"He was trying to find the sheet music and all the sheet music for Freaky Friday fell out," Hunton said. "And I found it on the floor and I was like, 'Freaky Friday? They're doing a musical on that?'"

She knew she wanted to be involved right away. 

"We both had a sense about it," she said. 

Becoming The Mother-Daughter Duo
Rolling out of bed every morning, both Hunton and Blickenstaff say are already very similar to their characters. Blickenstaff says she has also a Type A personality and is wildly obedient and responsible; she loves her family, like Katherine, and gets distracted by work sometimes. 

Hunton is a lot like Ellie: naturally perhaps a bit messy. Hunton's family, she says, calls her The Tornado, a trait she associates a lot with her character, Ellie. 

"But interestingly, additionally, there is a side to Emma's personality that is remarkably Katherine and there's a side to my crazy Type A wound really tight personality that is really Ellie, and I think there was certainly a lot of stealing going on from each other, but I think both of these characters live in both of us," Blickenstaff explained.

Some of those borrowed traits: Hunton took some of Blickenstaff's posture and mannerisms, and Blickenstaff took some of Hunton's mannerisms and personality traits. 

Though Ellie came naturally to Hunton, Catherine - the character she plays most of the time on stage when the 'Freaky Friay' swap happens - was a journey.

"Catherine was always hard for me to find because in a lot of ways I felt like I had to fast forward my growing up mentally, because I had to be like, how would someone think about this, how would someone approach this, in her shoes," Hunton explained.

It's not just the actress' on stage chemistry that makes them a perfect fit for the mom-duo pair. 

When they sang together for the first time, Blickenstaff said, they realized their voices blended together in a unique way. 

"Our voices do this crazy thing, like they were once upon a time were one voice and got split up in the universe," Blickenstaff said. "I don't know that I've ever sung with anyone who - I don't know, it's this crazy sonic thing that happens between us, and lots of people say it, that when we sing together, (they) can't tell who is singing."

"This was meant to be," Blickenstaff added.

"Always meant to be," Hunton agreed. 

Bringing the Show to Life
Then, when you add Carpenter's script with Kitt and Yorkey's music and lyrics, Hunton and Blickenstaff say, the musical really comes to life. 

"The score, in and of itself, if you were just hearing instruments play it, is so satisfying," Blickenstaff. "There are so many different styles. It follows that (Brian) Yorkey pop-rock thing. But there's definitely. . .They are playing with lots of different pop genres inside their very unique sound and it really is sort of like a feast for the ears."

Working with Kitt and Yorkey ('Next to Normal', 'If/Then') on bringing the score to life has been a true delight, both actresses say. Hunton and Blickenstaff have both worked with their music before, but building this musical has been a new experience. 

"One of the things obviously that I love so much about Kitt/Yorkey scores is they give women these amazing opportunities," Blickenstaff said.

"I say this all the time, but when you have two strong female leads, two strong independent women playing strong independent characters, that are not romantically involved, I think is very interesting to watch," Hunton added.

When mixed with Carpenter's book - "she is an aficionado at dialogue", Blickenstaff says - the show leaves audiences with a strong girl power message. One thing Hunton and Blickenstaff want the audience to take away from the show, in addition to that, is a message of acceptance and kindness and empathy. 

"There's a beautiful message of supporting other girls and loving yourself and being kind to other people and not taking crap from people who are trying to bring you down and calling you names," Blickenstaff said. "It is definitely an empowering, not just message, but vision of women."

There's a moment at the end of the show, Hunton and Blickenstaff say, where all that emotion and feeling builds and comes together. 

"To everyone's credit, there is this magical moment in the show, no matter how many times we've done this, the eyes just load up with tears and we both--," Blickenstaff said.

"I get emotional just thinking about it," Hunton adds. "It's really, really good."

"It's a beautiful, beautiful moment inside the show that's about a mother-daughter swap," Blickenstaff said.

It's a beauty that comes in the character's journeys and revelations, the actress' say: a mother and daughter who are beacons for each other.

When the show starts, the lights have been muted and covered up. But by the end, they find they way back to each other. It's such a moving experience that both actresses said they often cry when performing the scene. 

"It is a real thing that we all are either lucky enough to share with family members or wish we could share with family members," Blickenstaff explained. "When it is uncovered in our show, it is so pure and so sincere and then you add that Kitt/Yorkey score on top of it, and it's so earnest.

Hunton and Blickenstaff say audiences coming in expecting one show may find themselves leaving with a much different experience -- in the best way possible.

"I think some people are going to head into this expecting one thing and they're going to be very surprised that it actually takes them on a far deeper emotional journey than they might have been expecting. It certainly does for us."

Disney's 'Freaky Friday' runs at the La Jolla Playhouse from Jan. 31 to March 12. Book by Bridget Carpenter, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Directed by Christopher Ashley. Buy tickets here.



Photo Credit: Margot Schulman
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Local Girl Scouts Celebrate 100 Years of Cookies

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Local Girl Scouts started going door-to-door Sunday, celebrating 100 years of selling cookies with a new flavor. 

Girl Scouts like Sophia Demille are especially excited for this season.

“There’s actually a new cookie, called S’mores,” Demille said.

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The new treat has a layer of chocolate and marshmallows stuffed between two cookies. The new cookie costs an extra $1. 

“She’s about to be mind-blown about the delicious taste of the cookie,” said Girl Scout Jayell Aramada as a customer tried the new flavor. 

Local Girl Scouts continue to sell fan favorites like Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties and Thanks-A-Lot.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the world’s largest girl-led business. Since 2002, San Diegans have donated more than 2.7 million boxes of cookies to troops abroad.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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