A U.S. intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed to NBC News that National Security Advisor Mike Flynn discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Flynn took office, contrary to denials from Vice President Mike Pence, White House spokesman Sean Spicer and others. 

The official said he was told there was no quid pro quo and that there has been no finding inside the government that Flynn did anything illegal. 

But he said he was surprised when Flynn initially denied to the Washington Post, which first reported this story, that he discussed sanctions on Russia with the ambassador. His spokesman later said he didn't recall and it was possible he did, according to the Post. 

An administration official told the Post that Pence based his comments denying that Flynn had discussed sanctions on what Flynn told him.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Friday denied the report by the Washington Post. Dmitry Peskov said Ambassador Sergei Kislyak did talk to Flynn, but the rest of the report was wrong. 

George Chamberlin has been reporting on business news in San Diego for decades. On Friday, NBC 7 celebrated his career as he talked about the stock market's opening bell on NBC 7 News Today for the last time.

George told Marianne Kushi and Greg Bledsoe that he is cutting back on his broadcasting duties to enjoy a little more free time.

“I’m going to continue my radio work,” Chamberlin said.

As he said goodbye to NBC 7 viewers, Chamberlin talked about his fight against lymphoma and chemo treatments. He credits his family with helping get through the process.

Mexican authorities confirmed one of the alleged leaders of the drug cartel Beltran Leyva is dead after a shootout with police overnight.

The incident happened in Nayarit between cartel members, Mexican marines and police officers. Juan Francisco Patron Sanchez, the head of the criminal cartel was killed along with seven other people.

The cartel had partnered with the Sinaloa cartel.

San Diego Police arrested a man accused of attacking someone outside a Skyline apartment building Friday.

Officers said a man got into an argument with the victim and is accused of pistol whipping the person. Investigators did not release any information about what led up to the confrontation.

After the attack, the suspect went back into his apartment while the victim called 911.

The suspect came out of his apartment peacefully and told officers where they could find the gun.

The victim was treated by emergency personnel and was expected to be ok, police said.

Inside a 100 year old brick building, San Diego’s future is changing one kid at a time.

“They have everything they need to tell stories here,” says Brandon Steppe, who founded the David’s Harp Foundation a decade ago in his garage. Today, the non-profit operates out of the old Snowflake Bakery building in the East Village and sees about 200 kids a year come through the doors. Each of those kids has a story to tell, and David’s Harp is helping them learn how to tell it through music, and film. Six days a week, the organization helps homeless and at risk kids connecting with them through local shelters, group homes, and high schools.

What those kids find inside is equipment most of them have never seen, and if not for David’s Harp, would never have an opportunity to use.

“I wanted kids to walk into a state of the art facility for a couple reasons, one to say you’re worth the state of the art facility, you’re worth it, and second, because I’m going to challenge you to create world class art.”

Sitting at a sound mixing board and a piece of equipment called “The Machine”, that is exactly what kids like Horace Degree are doing.

“I didn’t know how to use it at all,” degree laughs when talking about The Machine, which he now uses to create and produce his own music.

Other students have produced documentaries, scored films, and started doing work for other local non-profits.

“We give them that piece that says you’re valuable and you can create something that’s valuable for someone else. It just changes a mindset,” says Steppe, who also points out, this is about more than art.

“It’s about using the arts as a catalyst and as a platform to drive some other behaviors,” he says, “It’s like, hey, what’s going on with your homework. I really want you to be here next week.”

Steppe says the instructors are empowered to make deals with kids adding incentives like extra studio time if they can improve their grades at school. He says the most important part of mentorship is to help the kids follow through.

“You can say I believe in you, but if you’re not going to hold a kid accountable after saying that, then I think something is missed,” says Steppe.

It worked for Horace Degree. He says the word he would use to describe the feeling he gets when he walks into that building is euphoria.

“I’ve seen kids walk in with their head low, kind of feeling down, down in the dumps about life, about what they’ve seen in the world,” says Degree, “And once they come here, they’re overjoyed.”

And for Degree, this is more than a place he comes to make music.

“A lot more than music,” he says, “It’s family here.”

Check out the video clip. The music was produced by a 17 year old David’s Harp student named Nathaniel Randle. To find out more about the David’s Harp Foundation go to their website.

Newly confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos had to enter a middle school in Southwest Washington through the back door after protesters blocked the front entrance.

The crowd, which included parents, union officials and teachers from other schools, stood outside Jefferson Middle School Academy Friday morning with signs that read, "Welcome to our public school. It's open to everyone!" and "Ms Devos: Our children are not props."

One protester was arrested for blocking a driveway and refusing to move, police said.

It is DeVos' first visit to a public secondary school since she was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, with a historic 50-50 tie vote broken by Vice President Mike Pence. 

DeVos has been a strong advocate of charter schools. She faced criticism and ridicule for a perceived lack of experience and confusion during her confirmation hearing. At one point, she said schools should be allowed to have guns if their districts wanted, citing the threat of grizzly bears in Wyoming.

Jefferson Academy teachers were to stay in their classrooms during the protests.

Washington Teachers' Union President Elizabeth Davis said the protesters "love our public school system."

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), Chairman of the Environment Subcommittee at House Energy and Commerce, will hold a joint press briefing at the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station Friday.

NBC 7 is planning on offering a live stream of the 10 a.m. event.

City contractors would be required to verify equal pay for their employees working in San Diego under a proposed ordinance announced Friday.

Local San Diego politicians such as Sen. Toni Atkins, Rep. Todd Gloria, and District 1 Councilwoman Barbara Bry attended a press conference to support District 3 Councilman Chris Ward’s new proposed ordinance, which would require any  company doing work for the City to provide equal pay for all employees — regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

The ordinance would also require companies to provide verification of equal pay, and would penalize them if they are involved with pay discrimination.

Ward hopes that this new ordinance will help even the playing field here in San Diego.

For this year alone, there is more than $600 million budgeted for city contractors. If the proposed ordinance goes through, contractors would have to prove, as well as provide, equal pay for all employees in similar positions.

According to an analysis conducted by the National Partnership for Women and Families, a woman who works full time in California makes a median salary just over $40,000, compared to the median salary of $50,000 a man makes.

Here in San Diego alone, women who work in San Diego make only $.72 to every dollar earned by a man, according to city leaders.

The ordinance will go before the Rules Committee in March.

White House lawyers are working on a rewrite of President Donald Trump's controversial executive order banning nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries that can pass legal muster, NBC News reports.

The work began several days before a federal appeals court shot down the White House's bid to lift a temporary restraining order on Trump's first plan to bar nationals from Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days, a senior administration official told NBC.

Trump's legal team still believes it will be eventually proven correct on the merits of the current executive order, the official said. And they are looking into several options, including continuing the court battle as well as signing a new immigration order "very soon."

Trump on Friday said he still expected to win in court and aded that he would be taking action "very rapidly" to protect the U.S. and its citizens.

Several sources close to Trump told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that White House lawyers are working on language for the executive order that would be able to find favor with the federal courts.

One of the recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump allows federal officials working along the U.S. borders to detain nearly anyone who is in the country without documentation and not just those who've been convicted of a crime.

Who and why someone could be deported is changing, according to Andrew Nietor, Chair of San Diego's Chapter of Immigration Lawyers Association.

"This atmosphere that we've been under just within the last two weeks which has been characterized by, at best, uncertainty but in most cases fear, is a very sharp and dark turn from what we've seen in the past few years and decades," Nietor said.

He's been practicing immigration law for more than 15 years. Most of the calls to his office have been from students who were registered in the DACA program but he also get calls from U.S. citizens who are concerned about relatives or friends.

Six to 8 million people in the U.S. could be targeted as deportation priorities.

About 170,000 of them call San Diego County home, according to a Pew Research Center study released Thursday.

Under the Obama Administration, the priority for removal were those with felony convictions, serious misdemeanor convictions or multiple misdemeanor convictions.

However, under the Trump Administration, the criteria for deportation, though still unclear, appears to be changing.

“Some of the language that is used by the Trump Administration includes not only individuals who have convictions, but individuals who are charged or who are believed to have committed offenses,” he said.

It's a promise Trump made during his campaign. Those who support his policy, applaud the move.

My grandparents they got their citizenship and did it the right way,” Jean Cauley told NBC 7 during a visit to San Diego. “That's kind of what America is all about.”

What's still unclear is who will determine whether someone is suspected of having committed a violation.

ICE San Diego would not comment on if they will be changing operations under the new executive order. Our questions were directed to the Department of Homeland Security.

Currently, ICE has a broad amount of discretion when it comes to undocumented immigrants.

Officials can detain a person, put the person on house arrest or have him or her check in on regular intervals. The decision is usually based on the risk of flight or potential danger to the community.

“Almost by definition they will have violated some law [by being in the country illegally], but within the law it also allows pardons and waivers and people to exercise their rights under the Constitution,” Nietor said.

The possibility of more deportations made national news this week, after Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, 36, was deported to Mexico.

The undocumented mother of two, had been in the country for 21 years.

Garcia de Rayos was arrested in 2008 during a workplace raid. She was convicted of a felony for using false papers to work.

She was detained on Wednesday during a routine check in meeting with immigration officials.

Despite the conviction, she was allowed to stay in the country, as long as she complied with routine check in meetings with immigration officials.

During her last appointment she was detained and deported.

Mexican authorities uncovered a new drug tunnel in Tijuana on Friday, the same day the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary was visiting the U.S.-Mexico border.

The tunnel was discovered when Mexican state police stumbled on an armed man was found in a Tijuana parking lot, according to a written release from the Mexican government.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Lauren Mack said the tunnel was incomplete and did not reach U.S. land.

DHS Secretary John Kelly was scheduled to tour one of the most fortified stretches of the border separating San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

Kelly was visiting the border in Arizona and California for the first time since he became secretary last month. Last week he toured the border in southern Texas.

San Diego police are sweeping a North Park neighborhood in a search for a carjacking suspect.

Officers converged on the 2800 block of Howard Avenue just before noon.

A San Diego Police Department task force was conducting an operation to apprehend a carjacking suspect, when the suspect ran out the back door of a house, police said.

Officers set up a perimeter in the area, with the help of a police chopper and a tracking dog in the area of Idaho and Polk Avenue.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

Mike and Jackie DiMaggio of San Diego celebrated 70 years of marriage Friday with a cake, a kiss and some advice.

A happy marriage is simple, according to Mike.

“I do everything she tells me to do,” he said.

The DiMaggio’s are regulars at the Balboa Park Senior Lounge at Casa Del Prado where staffers held a special party for the couple.

The two met on a Greyhound bus traveling to San Pedro in 1946. As Mike tells it, Jackie’s sister was engaged to his brother who was being discharged from the U.S. Navy.

He remembers she was a “nice-looking woman.” Mike was very handsome, she recalled.

The two married in 1947 and lived in “a tiny shack" next to Filippi’s. Their old neighborhood is now a parking lot.

Three kids, seven grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren later they still do everything together.

“Once in a while we argue," he said. "We never fight."

On this day, Mike did most of the talking to the television cameras lined up in the lounge.

Jackie chimed in to say “I love him.”

“He’s been my life,” she said while touching his arm.

The small gathering applauded after the couple enjoyed a kiss and a piece of cake.

Then, there was the special gift wrapped in pink tissue paper. Inside the box, fur-lined handcuffs.

The 92 year olds got quite a laugh out of that.

They may be old but they’re still romantic, they said.

The DiMaggio's will celebrate their 70th anniversary with family in July.

Volunteers run the Senior Lounge to give local seniors a place to socialize. It's  open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week.

Homicide investigators have made an arrest in the suspicious death of an Oceanside man.

Pablo Mendoza, 24, was arraigned Friday on a voluntary manslaughter charge in connection with the death of Ade Perdue. He entered a not guilty plea.

Perdue, 22, was found not breathing at 6 a.m. Sunday, December 11.

Detectives didn't find any visible trauma to Perdue's body but later ruled it a homicide and made an arrest.

Pablo Mendoza was taken into custody but before he was arraigned, he was released. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file charges at the time.

On Friday, prosecutors formally charged Mendoza in the case.

Perdue was remembered as a hard-working young man who brought light into a room.

He graduated from Oceanside High School and went on to work at Master’s Kitchen and Cocktail. The restaurant said Ade was a "beautiful soul" who would be missed.

A Tierrasanta woman was sentenced Friday to the maximum sentence possible in  a hit-and-run crash that killed one girl and seriously injured another.

Julianne Little, 30, will spend 11 years behind bars for the Feb. 20, 2016 crash that killed 10-year-old Raquel Rosete and the seriously injured of Rosete's friend, 12-year-old Mekayla Lee.

Jurors convicted Little of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run in December and ruled that distracted driving caused the crash.

The defense argued Little fell asleep behind the wheel when she hit the girls as they were walking along the sidewalk off Santo Road near Shields Street.

Little initially fled the scene, but returned shortly after the crash.

U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a "gift" to President Donald Trump — who has called the NSA leaker a "spy" and a "traitor" who deserves to be executed.

That's according to a senior U.S. official who has analyzed a series of highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations and who says a Snowden handover is one of various ploys to "curry favor" with Trump.

Snowden's ACLU lawyer, Ben Wizner, told NBC News they are unaware of any plans that would send him back to the United States.

The White House had no comment, but the Justice Department told NBC News it would welcome the return of Snowden, who currently faces federal charges that carry a minimum of 30 years in prison. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talk about returning Snowden is "nonsense."

Snowden's Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the state-run news agency last month that his client would like to return to the United States — with no criminal charges hanging over his head.

If you are really tempted by candy, how much can you have before it’s too much? Consumer Reports checked out Valentine’s Day candies to see what a 100 calorie serving looks like, including those conversation hearts and boxed chocolates.

If you have special feelings for Sweethearts conversation candies, ooh la la! You’re in luck. You can say “be mine” to thirty of these, that add up to 100 calories.

Or you could have about 57 Brachs Cinnamon Imperial Hearts. And if your sweet tooth leans to sour, grab 18 SweetTarts Hearts.

If you’re lucky enough to receive chocolate, pace yourself. A hundred calories adds up fast--about three of these dark chocolate hearts from Dove will hit the mark... Or two pieces of these Godiva Valentine’s Day Message Truffles...or about one piece of boxed chocolate  like Whitman’s Assorted or Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut Chocolates.

But guess what?

Consumer Reports nutritionists say it’s okay to indulge your sweet tooth...once in a while. It’s okay to have a treat now and then, it actually can help you stick to a healthy eating pattern because you don’t feel so deprived.

If you want to ration your intake, store your chocolate in a cool, dry place, not in the refrigerator, where it can pick up odors and flavors from other foods. If your chocolates develop a chalky haze on the surface, it can mean they’ve been stored improperly. But it’s usually just the surface, not the flavor, that’s been affected, and they’re safe to eat.

100 CALORIE VALENTINE’S DAY CANDY 

• Godiva Valentine's Day Message Truffles  2 pieces
• Sweethearts Candies  30 pieces
• Russell Stover Marshmallow Heart  0.9 pieces
• Brach's Jube Jel Cherry Hearts  4 pieces
• Godiva Limited Edition Slices of Love Collection  1 ½ pieces
• Dove Promises Dark Chocolate Hearts DOVE  2 ¾ pieces
• Brach's Cinnamon Imperial Hearts  56 ½ pieces
• Whitman's Sampler Assorted Chocolates  1 1/3 pieces
• Ferrero Rocher Fine Hazelnut Chocolates  1 1/3 pieces
• Sweetarts Hearts  18 1/3 pieces
• Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles  1 1/3 pieces
• See's Deep Dark Chocolate Truffle  1 ¼ pieces

 “Consumer Reports TV News^® is published by Consumer Reports.  Consumer Reports is a not-for-profit organization that does not accept advertising and does not have any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.”

An armed robbery at a Metro PCS store was reported Friday in San Marcos, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) confirmed.

The robbery was reported around 3:51 p.m. on the 200 block of San Marcos Boulevard.

SDSO said it is unclear what was stolen. 

San Diego Police told NBC 7, it's too early to say if this incident is connected to the string of robberies targeting Metro PCS stores across San Diego County.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

The San Diego Police Department is investigating a string of at least six street and residential robberies in the college area near San Diego State University (SDSU) since Jan. 20.

“We ask that people just really stay alert,” said SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl. “Stop texting on phones while walking, and pay attention. They’re focusing on kids talking on their phones and not paying attention to their surroundings.”

The robberies usually involve two or three young men in their 20s, armed with at least one hand gun. The suspects gang up on unsuspecting individuals who are on their phones while walking, said Wahl.

“To be clear, none of the robberies have occurred on the SDSU campus,” said SDSU Police Lt. Greg Noll. “They are either just outside our perimeter or in the residential areas.”

According to Wahl, the cases also involved residential parties, where the robbers go into rooms when no one is around. The owners do not even realize things are missing until the next morning.

While there have been at least six robberies in the college area reported to SDPD, police said they are investigating to see whether there are more that are related.

“Over the weekend is when a lot of students get together, so we just want them to be cautious,” said Noll. “Be careful what you post on social media because anyone can see when you go out.”

SDPD recommends not using cell phones while walking, not letting strangers into homes, to travel in groups with trusted people, and keep valuables secure.

SDSU has over 170 emergency phones which connect directly to the SDSU police department, and a mobile application called Aztec Shield, which also allows individuals to contact the SDSU police or request safety escorts.

“We have to catch these guys, they’re bad dudes,” Wahl said.

Anyone with information on the crimes should contact SDPD at (619)531-2000.

On Saturday, San Diego sports fans will head to Petco Park to show their support for local sports franchises and collegiate teams.

Those heading to event on Saturday can expect to hear from local officials, former players and coaches about what it means to be part of America’s Finest City.

The group includes: Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, former Charger Rolf Benirschke, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, Padres Manager Andy Green, San Diego State Aztecs Men’s Basketball Head Coach Steve Fisher, Aztecs Football Head Coach Rocky Long, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, University of San Diego Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer Ky Snyder, former WNBA athlete Candice Wiggins, Sycuan Tribal Council Chairman Cody Martinez, former Charger Nick Hardwick, and Padres Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman.

Also announced was the participation of California State University, San Marcos Cougars and Point Loma Nazarene University Sea Lions. They will join the San Diego Padres, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Sockers, San Diego State Aztecs, University of San Diego Toreros, University of California San Diego Tritons and the City of San Diego.

Gates will open at 10:00 a.m. and the event is free to the public. Speakers are set to take the stage at 1 p.m. Ted Leitner will serve as Master of Ceremonies.