An Iraqi lawmaker who’s been called ISIS' "most wanted woman" will not travel to the United States to receive a human rights award due to Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, NBC News reported.

Vian Dakhil is set to receive the Lantos Human Rights Prize for 2016 for her work on behalf of the Yazidi people, a religious minority group targeted by the Islamic State. But Dakhil told NBC News that she’s unsure whether she'll be able to attend the ceremony. She has a visa, but said she’s afraid someone in the airport will tell her she can't enter.

The State Department and the foundation recognizing her are working to ensure her a safe trip to the U.S., but Dakhil said she hasn’t received any solid answers yet. Dakhil is being recognized for her defense of the Yazidi people, and her "ongoing mission on behalf of enslaved Yazidi women."

San Diego County has suffered a dozen new victims of this year’s flu season.

The County Health and Human Services Agency released its weekly report Wednesday.

At this point last year, seven people had died from the flu in the county. So far this flu season, the county has confirmed 33 influenza deaths.

As of February 1, more people were going to the emergency room for influenza-like illness than the previous week, according to county officials.

However, cases of influenza confirmed by lab work dropped to 283 for the week, less than the number reported the previous week (326).

“Even though the number of reported flu cases has fallen in the past three weeks, more than one peak can occur in a flu season, which can last through the spring,” Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer said in a written news release.

Wooten suggests getting a flu shot if you have not had one.

A judge will decide later this month whether a local man accused of brutally attacking and killing several homeless people last summer is competent to stand trial.

Jon David Guerrero, 39, was in a San Diego courtroom on Wednesday morning for his competency hearing. But the judge postponed the hearing until Feb. 22 to give Guerrero’s defense attorney time to read over a new psychological report.

Guerrero is charged in the deaths of five homeless people in San Diego, some of whom were killed with railroad spikes. Last month, he was charged in a sixth attack of an 83-year-old woman on July 13, 2016.

Guerrero is accused in five attacks that began July 3 of last year, and authorities believe he acted alone.

The dramatic homicide investigation first surfaced when police found the badly burned body of 53-year-old Angelo de Nardo near train tracks in Bay Ho. Investigators say they believe the homeless man died before he was set on fire.

On July 4, two homeless men were discovered attacked within an hour of each other in Bay Ho and Ocean Beach in the early hours of morning around 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

They both suffered severe trauma to the upper body. 61-year-old Manuel Mason remains in critical condition. 41-year-old Shawn Longley died from the vicious assault.

On July 6, 23-year-old Derek Vahidy was found attacked and lit on fire in Pantoja Park near State and G Streets. He later died in the hospital.

Guerrero was arrested on July 15 after a fifth man was attacked at 18th and C streets.

The body of an 18-year-old San Diego teen was found off a Grand Canyon National Park trail this weekend, the National Park Service (NPS) said. 

On Saturday at approximately 5 p.m., a witness called the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center to report that a man had fallen off the rim near the South Kaibab Trailhead. The trailhead is located off Highway 64, near the North Rim of the Canyon. 

Park rangers found the body of an 18-year-old male, but could not get to him because of steep terrain, snow, ice and impending darkness. 

The following day, rangers used a helicopter to get to the body. 

The body was later identified as Luis Gonzales, 18, of San Diego. The San Diego Unified School District said Gonzales graduated from Hoover High School last year. The school offered support to any students that needed it on Monday. 

The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner's office. 

No further information was available. 

President Donald Trump has defended his controversial travel ban as being narrowly focused.

He has tweeted that "only 109 out of 325,000" people were detained and held for questioning, referring to the first, chaotic day after he signed his executive order. It halts the United States refugee program for four months and stops travellers from entering the country seven majority-Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — for 90 days.

But the order seems to affect the tens of thousands of people who were issued visas by the United States from those seven countries. They can't return to the U.S. or fear they won't be able to return if they left, a dramatic change for America's borders that has sparked protests and legal action across the country. 

In 2015, the U.S. issued nearly 90,000 visas to people from the affected countries, the most recent year for which State Department data was available. Over 100,000 visas were issued last year, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

One of those stuck abroad is Khaled Almilaji, a Syrian doctor who has been attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on a scholarship. He's studying ways to rebuild his country's health system after risking his life to provide medical care during Syria's civil war, coordinating a campaign that vaccinated 1.4 million Syrian children.

He told The Associated Press that his pregnant wife remains in the United States while he's stuck in Turkey. 

"It is really sad where the world is going to," Almilaji said.

He's not alone. U.S. companies and universities have warned staff members and students not to travel abroad if they are affected by the executive order.

Mary Sue Coleman, president of the Association of American Universities, said that it was in the nation's best interest to attract scholars and innovators instead of barring their entry.

"The order is stranding students who have been approved to study here and are trying to get back to campus, and threatens to disrupt the education and research of many others," Coleman said in a statement.

And the number of visa holders affected by the ban don't take into account the many refugees who also would have come into the country if not for Trump's order. Syrian refugees are barred indefinitely under the order.

About 85,000 refugees were admitted to the U.S. in 2016, according to the Department of State's Refugee Processing Center.

Edward Alden, an immigration expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, said it will be unlikely to get a final count of the number of people affected by the order. 

"There are a lot of effects that are hard to quantify, and it's going to go way beyond the people from those seven countries," Alden said, suggesting it may change the perception immigrants have of America as a welcoming place.

"We also don't know that this is going to be temporary. This could easily turn into something more permanent," he added.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration has consistently defended its actions as limited in scope.

Defending the action on Monday amid a rocky rollout, presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway called the ban a “temporary and mild inconvenience” and press secretary Sean Spicer said it was a “small price to pay” to keep Americans safe.

A Customs and Border Patrol official gave updated figures for the number of people affected by the ban on Tuesday: 721 travelers with visas from affected countries weren't allowed onto flights to the United States with three days of the order, while waivers were given to 1,060 lawful permanent residents of the U.S., known as green card holders, and 75 waivers to visa holders.

Spicer said Wednesday that waivers would no longer be required for green card holders, the latest change to the implementation of the order.

Refugees who had planned travel prior to the executive order from areas where there would otherwise suffer "undue hardship" are still being considered for waivers, officials said. Customs and Border Patrol expects 872 refugees to arrive this week, and waivers will continued to be processed for them.

Trump has said that visas will once again be issued to all countries "once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies." 

But to Alden, the effects of the temporary travel ban will be felt long after it's lifted.

"I think we can say for sure that admission numbers are going to be much lower this year," Alden said. "But the impact will be a lot broader than the numbers will indicate." 

President Donald Trump has defended his controversial travel ban as being narrowly focused.

He has tweeted that "only 109 out of 325,000" people were detained and held for questioning, referring to the first, chaotic day after he signed his executive order. It halts the United States refugee program for four months and stops travellers from entering the country seven majority-Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — for 90 days.

But the order seems to affect the tens of thousands of people who were issued visas by the United States from those seven countries. They can't return to the U.S. or fear they won't be able to return if they left, a dramatic change for America's borders that has sparked protests and legal action across the country. 

In 2015, the U.S. issued nearly 90,000 visas to people from the affected countries, the most recent year for which State Department data was available. Over 100,000 visas were issued last year, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

One of those stuck abroad is Khaled Almilaji, a Syrian doctor who has been attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on a scholarship. He's studying ways to rebuild his country's health system after risking his life to provide medical care during Syria's civil war, coordinating a campaign that vaccinated 1.4 million Syrian children.

He told The Associated Press that his pregnant wife remains in the United States while he's stuck in Turkey. 

"It is really sad where the world is going to," Almilaji said.

He's not alone. U.S. companies and universities have warned staff members and students not to travel abroad if they are affected by the executive order.

Mary Sue Coleman, president of the Association of American Universities, said that it was in the nation's best interest to attract scholars and innovators instead of barring their entry.

"The order is stranding students who have been approved to study here and are trying to get back to campus, and threatens to disrupt the education and research of many others," Coleman said in a statement.

And the number of visa holders affected by the ban don't take into account the many refugees who also would have come into the country if not for Trump's order. Syrian refugees are barred indefinitely under the order.

About 85,000 refugees were admitted to the U.S. in 2016, according to the Department of State's Refugee Processing Center.

Edward Alden, an immigration expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, said it will be unlikely to get a final count of the number of people affected by the order. 

"There are a lot of effects that are hard to quantify, and it's going to go way beyond the people from those seven countries," Alden said, suggesting it may change the perception immigrants have of America as a welcoming place.

"We also don't know that this is going to be temporary. This could easily turn into something more permanent," he added.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration has consistently defended its actions as limited in scope.

Defending the action on Monday amid a rocky rollout, presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway called the ban a “temporary and mild inconvenience” and press secretary Sean Spicer said it was a “small price to pay” to keep Americans safe.

A Customs and Border Patrol official gave updated figures for the number of people affected by the ban on Tuesday: 721 travelers with visas from affected countries weren't allowed onto flights to the United States with three days of the order, while waivers were given to 1,060 lawful permanent residents of the U.S., known as green card holders, and 75 waivers to visa holders.

Spicer said Wednesday that waivers would no longer be required for green card holders, the latest change to the implementation of the order.

Refugees who had planned travel prior to the executive order from areas where there would otherwise suffer "undue hardship" are still being considered for waivers, officials said. Customs and Border Patrol expects 872 refugees to arrive this week, and waivers will continued to be processed for them.

Trump has said that visas will once again be issued to all countries "once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies." 

But to Alden, the effects of the temporary travel ban will be felt long after it's lifted.

"I think we can say for sure that admission numbers are going to be much lower this year," Alden said. "But the impact will be a lot broader than the numbers will indicate." 

Two Republican senators announced Wednesday they will vote against confirming Betsy DeVos, imperiling her chances of becoming the next Secretary of Education, NBC News reported. 

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both said they cannot support DeVos, a charter school and voucher program advocate. Her nomination already has received opposition from Democrats, and Collins and Murkowski’s announcements put pressure on other moderate Republican senators to follow their lead as opponents of DeVos continue to inundate phone lines of congressional offices.

Republicans hold a 52-seat majority in the senate. In the event of a tie, Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote.

A motorcyclist killed in a crash with a pickup truck on State Route 79 has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. 

Richard Bruce Walker, 64, of Valley Center, was traveling northbound on SR-79 at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday on his motorcycle at the time of the crash, according to the ME. 

A truck driving in front of him pulled onto the shoulder and made a U-turn, the ME's office said. 

The motorcycle and truck collided; the impact sent the 64-year-old motorcyclist flying off his motorcycle. 

Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.

No other information was immediately available.

A small town in North Texas just got a big headline. 

Jess Herbst, the mayor of New Hope, wrote a letter to residents this week saying she is transgender.

"Society finally has a chance to see and learn about who we are," Herbst wrote, linking her announcement to prominent transgender figures like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox. "It is gender identity not sexual preference that applies to me. I love my wife, and she loves me, we have no intention of change."

New Hope is located three miles east of McKinney in Collin County. Its population is just over 600 residents. 

Herbst's announcement comes with a bill before the Texas legislature that would ban transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice, following the lead of North Carolina's controversial HB2 law that resulted in boycotts.

In her letter, Herbst acknowledged that she did not foresee becoming mayor — she took over the role in May when longtime Mayor Johnny Hamm was re-elected despite having died days earlier.

"Two years ago, with the support of my wife, daughters and son-in-law, I began Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). At the time, I did not imagine I would hold the Mayors (sic) position, but here I am."

Herbst said she will continue to serve as mayor and encourages anyone with questions or comments to contact her, or visit her website to learn more about her transition. 

She said in her letter that the customers of her business have been understanding.

"I have received emails congratulating me, calling me brave and even one expressing pride in living in a town with a mayor like me," Herbst told the Huffington Post. "I never hoped for more than simple tolerance, the outpouring of support is unprecedented."

Read her full letter here.

A California woman is mourning the death of her husband after an unexpected death – following a tooth infection.

Twenty-six-year-old Vadim Kondratyuk was suffering from the bothersome tooth when he left his home near Sacramento on Jan. 17 to begin a truck driving job that would take him to New York.

On his return home – with his brother along for the ride after Kondratyuk said he couldn’t make the trip alone – the pain was too much to handle and the two stopped at a hospital in Utah.

Doctors said the infection spread to his blood and lungs, killing the father of two days later.

"Nobody ever thought that something from a tooth can happen so big and go everywhere,” said his widow, Nataliya. “It's going to be hard with both my kids without a husband. Half of me is just taken away."

Tooth infections can cause serious illness if not treated. Doctors say infections can be prevented by regular dentist appointments and care. Patients should seek medical help immediately if they experience one.  

With President Donald Trump selecting Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee on the long-vacant Supreme Court seat, it's time for a refresher on the confirmation process.

Televised Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with the nominee get the process started, and then the committee votes, NBC News reported. If the nominee passes, he or she then is considered by the full Senate, where a simple majority is required for confirmation. Since 1975, the average wait for the confirmation vote has been about 67 days from the nomination.

But Supreme Court nominees can be filibustered, and at least one Democrat, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, has said he will try to block Trump's pick. Filibusters can be blocked, though, with something dramatically referred to as the "nuclear option."

Police are following up on tips and reviewing surveillance footage after a student was sexually assaulting in a California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) parking lot in broad daylight Tuesday.

The incident happened at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday in Lot B on campus, according to an advisory sent to students. The University Police Department is investigating the rape. 

The suspect and victim met on a popular college student app, said Margaret Chantung, Interim Associate Vice President for Communications. The app had anonymity features, Chantung said, and the app does not have photos.

After meeting on campus, the suspect drove the victim to Lot B, where he raped her, officials said. 

The suspect then drove the victim back to Craven Circle, where he let her go. The victim notified University police shortly after. 

Chantung told NBC 7 that officials believe this was a targeted sexual assault because of previous social media contact, though it is too early to say if the suspect would use the application to target other female students. 

“We do want the students to be aware not to meet up with people they do not know off of a social media app,” Chantung said.

The suspect is described as a 25- to 30-year-old man who was wearing his hair in a ponytail; his hair was shaved on the sides of his head. He was last seen wearing a dark blue t-shirt with red letters and dark gray pants.

Police are in the process of reviewing surveillance. They received tops overnight and authorities are working to follow up on those tips. However, police have no strong leads so they cannot release sketches of a possible suspect yet. 

“The investigation is just beginning,” Chantung said. “So evidence is very preliminary.”

The car involved in the incident was described as a four-door, older, white Honda. 

University police are asking anyone with information to call them at (760) 750-4567, or use the University’s SAFE hotline at (760) 750-SAFE. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

San Diego homicide detectives cordoned a home in San Carlos for hours Wednesday after an apparent murder-suicide involving a caregiver and an adult resident.

At around 10:25 a.m., the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) received a phone call from a person concerned about their relative’s well-being. The caller asked police to conduct a welfare check on their loved one at a home in the 6600 block of Bell Bluff Avenue.

When officers arrived, they made a grisly discovery: two people were dead inside the home. An SDPD lieutenant told NBC 7 the dead were a man and woman, both in their late 60s.

One of the adults is a care provider for the other, police said.

No other information was immediately available. Watch NBC 7 News at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the latest updates from the scene.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story. 

A California woman is mourning the death of her husband after an unexpected death – following a tooth infection.

Twenty-six-year-old Vadim Kondratyuk was suffering from the bothersome tooth when he left his home near Sacramento on Jan. 17 to begin a truck driving job that would take him to New York.

On his return home – with his brother along for the ride after Kondratyuk said he couldn’t make the trip alone – the pain was too much to handle and the two stopped at a hospital in Utah.

Doctors said the infection spread to his blood and lungs, killing the father of two days later.

"Nobody ever thought that something from a tooth can happen so big and go everywhere,” said his widow, Nataliya. “It's going to be hard with both my kids without a husband. Half of me is just taken away."

Tooth infections can cause serious illness if not treated. Doctors say infections can be prevented by regular dentist appointments and care. Patients should seek medical help immediately if they experience one.  

A local group released the list of San Diego’s most dangerous intersections Wednesday as it pushes for improvements to the so-called “Fatal 15”.

Circulate San Diego, a non-profit focused on safer neighborhoods, streets, and intersections says the "Fatal 15" are the intersections with the highest number of pedestrian injuries and deaths since 2001.

You can see a map of the intersections here.

University and Marlborough avenues in City Heights takes the top spot with 18 injuries during that time. Four of the top five most dangerous intersections involve some stretch of University Avenue.

“Sometimes they come right on you, they just want to kill you,” said Abal Faeq, who walks the area often.

Fourteen of the 15 most dangerous intersections are south of interstate 8.

Almost all of the "Fatal 15” fall in areas where foot traffic is heavy leading to higher percentages of possible vehicle vs. pedestrian collisions.

But advocates for safety improvements don’t think that’s a reason to stand by and do nothing.

“That’s crazy, just because there’s more people walking does not mean people should be getting hit and killed by cars,” said Jim Stone, executive director of Circulate San Diego.

Circulate San Diego is asking the city council to make three safety improvements to all of the intersections on the list:

• Put broad stripes inside the cross walks increasing visibility for drivers
• Make sure they crossing signals beep
• Upgrade the pedestrian signals to a countdown instead of just the traditional flashing red hand so people know how much time they have to reach the other side.

Circulate San Diego estimates the improvements would cost about $200,000 and should be a priority in the city’s budget for the next fiscal year.

A Pit bull was rescued from a tight, six-foot-deep hole in San Ysidro on Tuesday, thanks to County Animal Services officers who rushed to help him. 

U.S. Customers and Border Protection officers called the County after someone reported seeing the dog in a hole at a construction site for a new pedestrian crossing. 

The dog could not dig his way out of the hole and couldn't gain enough traction to climb out. No one knew how long the Pit bull had been inside. 

Animal Control Officers Lewis Petersen and Joshua Nix found the dog trapped at the bottom of a narrow opening.

In order to save the dog, Officer Petersen had to slowly lower himself into the hole to help rescue the dog. 

The officer used a rope as a harness, and, with the help of Officer Nix and CBP officers, the dog was lifted safely and rescued. 

“Mind you, this dog weighs 89 pounds, so it was no easy feat to lift the dog out,” said County Animal Services Deputy Director Daniel DeSousa in a statement.

The dog was taken to the County's Bonita animal care facility and examined by veterinary staff. 

The 6-year-old Pit bull did not have identification. 

The dog will be held for three days to give his owner a chance to come forward and claim him.

If he is not claimed, the pup will be put up for adoption on Sunday, Feb. 5. 

It’s a question that has sparked skepticism, intrigue, opposition, lots of chatter and even laughter over the past couple days among local sports fans.

Could the Raiders really come to San Diego?

The interwebs love to speculate and look at “what-if.” But in looking in financing and the interests of the city and Raiders, is it really actually viable?

Here’s what we know: The Raiders' proposal to move to Las Vegas is falling apart at the seams. Team owner Mark Davis needs another stakeholder to pitch in more than half a billion dollars to make up the difference in the estimated $1.9 billion stadium and the NFL has rules against casino owners sharing ownership of their franchises.

Unless Davis can find another private investor willing to jump in there will not be enough cash to build the Vegas facility.

Oakland has had less movement on a stadium front than San Diego. The MLS group looking to redevelop the Mission Valley site will leave acreage to construct a new NFL-caliber stadium, about 16 acres worth of land. That would drastically drive down the cost of a new facility because land acquisition is minimal there.

If the Raiders are willing to pay $200 million for a new stadium and the NFL is willing to pump in $300 million, you are half way to a new facility in Mission Valley.

State-of-the-art stadiums are being built for $7,000 a seat in Europe and that is commensurate with what they can be built for here: for a 60,000-seat stadium that is $420 million.

If the city and county combined is willing to provide the $1-per-year rent on that 16 acres and hand over the $175 million they were offering the Chargers during their last round of discussions, then we can have two new stadiums in one place in a completely redeveloped Mission Valley, without raising one single tax.

But is there interest? Again, here is what we know: A spokesman for Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office confirmed to NBC 7 that the mayor spoke to an NFL official this week, but did not say which league official.

A spokesman for the investor group hoping to get an MLS stadium here also told NBC 7 that the chatter surrounding the Raiders does not change any of the plans.

Then there’s the NFL commissioner. Roger Goodell told NBC Sports on Wednesday that any team going to San Diego would “have to find a solution to” the stadium problem.

A stranger reportedly kidnapped a woman from the Mira Costa College (MCC) campus and attempted to sexually assault her last week, MCC Police Department Chief Robert Norcross confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego. 

The victim reported the assault on Monday, Jan. 23 to campus police and an official, campus-wide alert was sent within two hours of the report, in addition to an email and a notice on the college website. 

The 18-year-old student told police she was taken against her will, put in a car and driven off campus by a stranger. He reportedly attempted to sexually assault her, but was not successful, the victim told police. 

Police said there is no surveillance video of the incident and they do not have a sketch of a possible suspect. 

The man was described as a 25- to 30-year-old man driving a white Volkwagen, perhaps a Jetta. 

As far as police know, the victim and alleged attacker did not know each other, and no social media was used to connect. There are no known witnesses. 

The victim declined to prosecute, Norcross said, so the case remains open, but not criminally. 

Since the attempted assault, Norcross said police have increased their patrols and added additional personnel on campus to better protect students. 

The college is also offering a special self-defense class for women. 

No further information was available. 

A Metro PCS store in the Egger Highlands area of San Diego was robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) confirmed.

The incident occurred at approximately 3:04 p.m. on the 1800 block of Coronado Avenue near 19th Street.

A man, described to be in his 20s, entered the store with a handgun and made a demand to the employees. He was last seen getting inside a black sedan and driving away.

According to police, he is 5-foot 7-inches in height with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a dark hoodie and jeans.

At this time, it's unknown what was stolen.

Multiple fatalities were reported in a head-on two vehicle crash in Lemon Grove Wednesday, Heartland Fire & Rescue Department confirmed.

The crash occurred just after 4 p.m. on Massachusetts and Lemon Grove avenues. 

At least two people were reported dead, with a possible third fatality. 

Three more victims were taken to a local hospital with moderate injuries, fire officials said.

One dog was reportedly killed in the crash and two others injured.

At this point, it is unknown what caused the crash.

Fire officials said the intersection will be closed for the next eight hours and is advising motorists to go avoid the area.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.