Norwegians are more more likely to vote in their elections than Americans and their rival political parties focus on how they can collaborate, not attack one another, part of why the nation continues to be named the best democracy in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit, NBC News reported.

That same report from the London-based consultancy this year downgraded the United States from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy," linked to lobbying and American voters losing trust in political institutions.

Neither is a significant issue in Norway.

"There's something about our culture that says it's very important to vote," 18-year-old Aurora Aven explained to NBC News at an ice rink in Oslo. "Norway has such a good system, so no one feels left out and no one feels misunderstood. Everybody knows their voice will be heard."

The owners of a New York bed and breakfast were arrested for allegedly keeping a mentally disabled man in a barn and stealing money from his bank account.

New York state police arrested John and Mary Quick earlier this month after members of Orange County Social Services found the 59-year-old mentally disabled man living in a barn at their bed and breakfast. 

Police said the mentally disabled man had been living in a stable hand quarters of the barn at Silent Farms bed and breakfast in Goshen for years.

Further investigation led police to believe that the couple had assumed control of the man’s bank account and that they had been removing money from the account without his consent.

The two face charges of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable adult and grand larceny. They were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

It wasn’t immediately clear if they had an attorney.

Now that you can easily skip through traditional television commercials, advertisers are finding creative new ways to get their brands on your radar, the NBC Los Angeles I-team reported.

A recent survey found that 76 percent of people use their digital video recorder ("DVR") and/or ad blocking software to avoid commercials on television and online. A total of 68 percent of those surveyed admit to remembering fewer than five advertisements that they've seen in the past week.

With billions of ad dollars at stake, marketers are turning to less obvious strategies to get consumers to buy.

One technique that's proven effective is "product placement," where a company pays to have its product appear in the background of a TV show. Nielsen identified 4,538 instances of product placement during the 2015-2016 television season.

San Diego police officers are looking for evidence that could link them to a suspect in a City Heights shooting. NBC 7's Elena Gomez reports.

An 8-year-old boy adopted from Taiwan by a Southern California family tragically lost his life in a Pomona drive-by shooting that has unleashed grief and outrage.

Jonah Min Hwang, his adoptive parents, and a second adopted son were visiting the home of another family from their Pomona Church Monday evening when at least four shots were fired into the house from outside on West 11th Street. Struck once in the head, the boy was transported to hospital, but did not survive.

"There are no words for this," said neighbor Liz Calvillo.  "It's horrible."

Neighbors placed flowers in the driveway of the home.

Jonah's adoptive parents had brought him from an orphanage in Taiwan less than three years ago to begin a new American life.

"He had an infectious smile and loved everyone and everything: sports, wrestling with his dad, running, laughing, superheroes," said Jonah's adoptive parents, Karen and Johnny Hwang, in a statement posted on GoFundMe by their cousin Sandi Hwang Adam. "With his playful demeanor, he adapted almost immediately to life in the United States and became a full-blooded American in no time at all.

"Jonah was a light and joy in our household and we cannot imagine our family without him."

During the day Tuesday, Pomona police mustered a task force of multiple law enforcement agencies, canvassing the neighborhood for possible evidence and witness information, in particular seeking security camera video showing the drive-by vehicle, initially described only as a dark-colored car. Whether more than one person was inside the car was unclear.  

"I'm sure it was not their intention to kill an 8-year-old child. Now that they know that information, the right thing to do is to step forward and own what they did," said Pomona Police Lt. Eddie Vasquez.

Police acknowledged they are at a loss to fathom a motive for this drive-by, and a previous one a month ago when no one was home.

"This was a truly innocent family," Vasquez said.  They have lived in the house more than a decade, raising their own children.

Neighbors described them as good, church-going people. The husband teaches math at a local high school. It's believed the wife has also worked as a teacher.

Like the Hwang family, they are active in Pomona's First Presbyterian Church, and led Bible-study classes. The Church is well-known in the community for providing the Pomona Hope afterschool program for at-risk youth. Karen Hwang serves on organization's governing board, the organization said.

"I just don't understand why that house," said 11th Street resident Justin Armijo.

Police said it is possible the shooter intended to target another location, or was seeking to avenge some perceived slight.  The vehicle in the previous drive-by shooting was described as a pickup truck.  

Beyond the attack, what troubled neighbors even more was the shooter's recklessness.

"I wish when things like this would happen, that they would think." said Patty Armijo.

That child's adoptive parents, who "had moved into the neighborhood with a missional purpose to help the community," wrote Sandi Hwang Adam in her original posting on GoFundMe. "They are now faced with incredible grief and a multitude of expenses."

Pomoma Police issued a plea for anyone with information on the shooting to contact department investigators.

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up to help Jonah's family, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 7.9 percent of all funds raised in the form of platform and payment processing charges.

More than 500 people gathered for a healthcare town hall at the Brengle Terrace Park Recreation Center in Vista Tuesday night.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R) 49th District is back in San Diego County on recess--the first recess since Inauguration Day.

He was invited to the town hall but declined.

Before a packed assembly, residents of the 49th District shared their stories about personal healthcare struggles. The crowd was so large, some people waited outside the center for their turn.

"I don't have cash. What am I going to do?" one unemployed woman asked.

"I know what it is like sitting in a hospital and wondering how this stuff is going to get paid for," another frustrated Vista resident said.

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The residents criticized any plan to dissolve Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, and the latest immigration order.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a platform to repeal or replace the healthcare act. Congressional Republicans have maintained they plan to rewrite or replace the legislation.

On both issues, Issa has sided with the president.

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Tuesday night, he was attending "Solutions for Change" event, just 10 miles away from the location of the town hall. The program helps homeless families get back on their feet.

Issa did speak with more than 200 supporters and critics Tuesday morning outside of his office.

He is also crafting a healthcare plan.

"There are over 250 plans and there could be more. They could bid smaller plans," Issa said.

Issa also supported the president's latest initiative to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

"You can not look at an illegal and say because they have a wife or a child they shouldn't be deported, especially if they've committed crimes. I think we can all agree on that," he said.

Revenue at San Diego County hotels rose 4.8 percent from a year ago during the month of January, topping $180.5 million, according to the latest monthly data from research firm STR.

The region’s occupancy rate was 67 percent for the month, down 1 percent from January 2016, while all other reported metrics showed increases. The average daily room rate was $142.41 during January (up 4.5 percent), while revenue per available room (RevPAR) was $95.39 (up 3.4 percent).

Local room-night supply rose 1.4 percent, to more than 1.89 million; while room-night demand (nights booked) for the month rose 0.3 percent, to more than 1.26 million.

According to STR, the San Diego region generally registered annual full-year improvements on most metrics for the past six consecutive years, spurred in part by a strong nationwide tourism economy.

Investigators have made an arrest in the mysterious killing of a young woman whose body was found dumped on the side of a road in San Diego's North County more than one month ago.

San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) Lt. Kenn Nelson confirmed that an arrest was made late Tuesday in connection with the homicide of Antonia Herrera, 23.

Suspect Paul Castro, 27, a resident of Las Vegas, was arrested Tuesday by homicide detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He’s a documented gang member, authorities said.

Castro is currently in custody in Las Vegas. He will be extradited back to San Diego to face charges in the murder of Herrera.

Herrera's body was found on Jan. 12 on the side of the 27600 block of Champagne Boulevard in unincorporated Escondido. Her sudden death left her family searching for clues, trying to figure out who was the last person to see her alive.

In an interview in January, Herrera's family told NBC 7 the victim, in her last few months alive, had feared for her life. She was so concerned, she even took out a life insurance policy on herself just a few months before her death.

"Someone has to know something," said Tinamarie Herrera, the victim's sister.

Eliza King, Herrera's roommate at San Pasqual Academy told NBC 7 she had seen Herrera about a week before her death, during classes for an internship program.

"She was working on getting her life together," King told NBC 7.

King said Herrera had told her she was staying with a male friend for the week.

"She mentioned that she went to stay with a guy so that she could have a way to get to the training," King said.

She added that Herrera told her she felt uncomfortable staying with the male friend, but it was only for a short time and then she would be back at her apartment in San Marcos.

King said Herrera was loved and "valued."

"We valued her, people love her and it's just not fair," King said.

Twenty-three new sex abuse charges were filed Wednesday against a Michigan doctor already accused of molesting dozens of former patients, NBC News reported.

It's the latest development in a scandal that has rocked USA Gymnastics, which fired Dr. Larry Nassar as team doctor in 2015, and Michigan State University, which fired Nassar in the fall, over allegations he sexually abused patients during treatment for sports injuries.

Nassar's attorneys declined to comment on the new charges, filed in Michigan district court, that are linked to at least a half-dozen women, some of them under age 13. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette was scheduled to release more details at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

"Based on the access he had to young girls over the last 20 years, the numbers are staggering," said James White, a Michigan attorney who represents 13 victims and believes the number of accusers will continue to climb.

LGBT-rights advocates fear the Trump administration may soon overturn recent federal guidance protecting transgender students, according to NBC News, which has obtained a purported draft copy of a letter rescinding that guidance.

The Obama-era guidance, sent to schools by the Department of Education and the Justice Department's Office of Civil Rights in May, directed public schools to allow students to use bathrooms and other sex-segregated facilities that match their gender identity.

The "Dear Colleague" letter, dated February 2017, would allow states to individually interpret whether Title IX's federal student protections include transgender students. Doing so could make it more difficult for transgender students to access restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities that correspond to their gender identity and presentation rather than biological sex at birth.

Multiple requests from NBC News to both the Department of Education and the Justice Department's Office of Civil Rights did not result in official comment.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, asked Wednesday about reports the government would issue new guidance, said that more information would come out later in the day but the president is a “firm believer in state's rights."

A hearing to decide whether a local man accused of brutally attacking and killing several homeless people last summer is competent to stand trial has been rescheduled.

Jon David Guerrero, 39, was expected to appear in a San Diego courtroom on Wednesday for his competency hearing.

A judge ruled the hearing would be postponed to March 20 with a status hearing on March 1.

Guerrero is charged in the deaths of five homeless people in San Diego, some of whom were killed with railroad spikes. The brutal killings began on July 3.

Angelo de Nardo, 53, was found badly burned 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.

One 61-year-old victim survived the attack however 41-year-old Shawn Longley died from his injuries.

Two days later, San Diego police found 23-year-old Derek Vahidy in Pantoja Park near State and G Streets. Vahidy had been beaten and set on fire, police said. He later died in the hospital.

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

In December, Guerrero was also charged in the July 13 attack of an 83-year-old woman.

The Anti-Defamation League's national headquarters in New York received a bomb threat Wednesday, and the group says it is working with authorities to determine if it is connected to the rash of threats targeting Jewish community centers across the country in recent months. 

The bomb threat to the Third Avenue office was anonymous, according to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. Greenblatt said while there is nothing to indicate the threat is anything more than that, the group is taking it "very seriously." 

The specific nature of the threat wasn't immediately clear. Police say they got a call about it shortly before noon. An investigation found it not credible.

"It's a frightening moment and it reminds us that the haters and the bigots, they hide in the shadows like cowards and they seek to terrorize us because of our faith," Greenblatt said on MSNBC Wednesday. "We will not be deterred and we will not be daunted."

The threat comes two days after 10 Jewish community centers across the country were evacuated in response to bomb threats. In January, another round of bomb threats targeted 53 Jewish community centers across 26 U.S. states and one Canadian province over a period of three days.

The FBI is involved in the investigation, and the ADL has called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to launch a coordinated multi-agency probe. 

President Donald Trump addressed the series of JCC bomb threats for the first time Tuesday, calling them "horrible and painful." The remarks came amid mounting criticism about his silence. Earlier Tuesday, Hillary Clinton called the series of threats and attacks against Jews and Jewish groups "so troubling" in a tweet that urged Trump to speak out against them.

Trump added that the threats were a "very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."

About two million Calphalon knives are being recalled after 27 reports of finger or hand lacerations, including four that require stitches.

Lacerations have been caused by the blade breaking during use. Calphalon has also received about 3,150 reports of broken knives.

The recalled knives were sold individually and in sets at J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Macy’s and other stores nationwide, and online at Amazon, between September 2008 and December 2016. The knives retailed in the range of $25 for a single knife to $300 for a knife block set.

Consumers can see the full list of recalled knives on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. In the meantime, owners of the defective knives should not use them and can contact Calphalon for replacement products.

Customers can contact Calphalon at 800-809-7267 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or online at Calphalon’s website.

A Southern California airplane broker has pleaded guilty in a scheme to launder money and buy airplanes that would be used by Mexican cartels to ferry drugs. 

Hector Hernandez of Wilmington entered pleas Tuesday in San Diego to federal conspiracy charges. He could face up to 30 years in prison.

Hernandez owned Pacific Coast Aero, located at the Torrance airport.

In a plea agreement, Hernandez acknowledged helping arrange the purchase of seven small planes for export to Mexico, along with parts such as extra fuel tanks and heavy-duty tires.

Hernandez believed the money came from drug trafficking and the planes were intended for smuggling.

A co-defendant, Vicente Contreras-Amezquita, faces trial for allegedly stashing $3 million in dozens of U.S. bank accounts in order to buy some 35 planes.

Rising floodwaters sent at least 14,000 residents fleeing inundated homes in San Jose, California, and forced the shutdown of a major freeway Wednesday.

Officials say U.S. 101 is closed in both directions south of San Francisco early Wednesday because of water across lanes. There is no estimate when the key commuter artery into Silicon Valley will reopen.

San Jose has declared a local emergency after record flooding from the Coyote Creek submerged a neighborhood. City officials expanded mandatory evacuations approximately 250 feet beyond the Coyote Creek's 100-year flood zone, running from north of Interstate 280 to south of U.S. 101. 

Floodwaters engulfed whole city blocks and submerged parked cars, as firefighters in inflatable boats ferried stranded residents to dry ground.

About 480 homes were ordered evacuated in low-lying Rock Springs and police officers went door-to-door advising residents at three mobile home parks near the Coyote Creek to seek higher ground, city spokesman David Vossbrink said.

"They said we had 10 minutes to pack the things we wanted to bring," said 10-year-old Jaycey Manuel, who threw some clothes into a backpack and rode with neighbors to higher ground.

The city set up evacuation centers in the Mayfair Community Center located at 2039 Kammerer Ave. and in the Shirakawa Community Center at 2072 Lucretia Ave.

Overnight, flood victims gathered at James Lick High School at 57 N. White Rd and Evergreen Valley High School at 3300 Quimby Rd.

At least 225 residents were taken Tuesday to dry land and rinsed with soap and water to prevent them from being sickened by floodwaters that had traveled through engine fuel, garbage, debris and sewer lines. No major injuries were reported.

Although the persistant downpours began to taper off, flood warnings were in place through Saturday because waterways were overwhelmed.

Meanwhile several other communities downstream from a Northern California reservoir gushing water for the first time in 20 years braced for flash floods and evacuations. The surge released from Don Pedro Dam into the Tuolumne River in the foothills east of Modesto was expected to reach overtopped levees late Wednesday.

San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services spokesman Tim Daly said the water released from Don Pedro is expected to reach its peak along a stretch near Vernalis that's already at dangerous levels. He added that the water isn't expected to spill over the levees but will likely increase pressure on them, causing possible breaks in any weak places.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo visited the flood zones Tuesday. According to Liccardo, an estimated 500 households, which include roughly 60 multi-unit apartment complexes, were impacted by the rising water.

"We've got all hands on deck right now," Liccardo said. "Everybody in this city is working hard to do whatever we can to safeguard our residents."

Earlier Tuesday, five homeless people were rescued from the nearby Los Lagos Golf Course after swift-moving water surrounded their encampments.

"We knew we would have flooding in San Jose. We did not know how bad it was," San Jose Fire Captain Mitch Matlow said. Matlow also said it was the worst flooding he has seen during his 35 years working in Santa Clara County.

The area is getting a brief break from the rain, but a flood warning for central Santa Clara County will remain in effect until further notice.

The Anderson Dam in Santa Clara County reached capacity over the weekend, and after heavy rain, it began overflowing into the Coyote Creek for the first time in 11 years.

City officials said they have been warning residents along Coyote Creek to prepare for potential evacuations for a few days as a result of the rushing water flowing from Anderson Reservoir, according to city spokesman David Vossbrink.

"The water district is telling us that they're not seen this level of flows coming down the Anderson spillway in their experience so that really does create a situation that is new for everybody," he said.

Aside from the deluge of recent rain that caused water levels along the creek to rise, Liccardo added that some sort of breach in the creek made matters even worse.

"We're still trying to nail that down now, but clearly there is a source in the creek where there is a significantly large amount of water that is rushing in," he said. "This is more than the typical inundation."

Regardless, Liccardo suggested that something still went wrong with planning for this major event.

"As I sit here today and look at a neighborhood that is completely inundated with water where we have fire crews doing whatever they can to get people out, there's no question in my mind there was a failure of some kind," he said. "We'll have plenty of time for 'Monday morning quarterbacking' in the days ahead. Right now, we've got to do whatever we can to get people out."

NBC News contributed to this report.

A taxi was used as a weapon in a suspected assault in downtown San Diego’s marina area Wednesday, officials confirmed. 

At around 11:30 a.m., Harbor Police Department officers were called to Kettner Boulevard and Harbor Drive to investigate reports of an assault with a vehicle.

Officers discovered a cab had hit a victim; the victim suffered minor injuries.

About 35 minutes later, police confirmed that the taxi involved in the incident had been found, unoccupied, in the 500 block of 19th Street.

No other information was available.

No one else was hurt.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

Police are searching for a suspect involved in a robbery outside a Best Western in Oceanside.

A man was robbed of $5,000 outside the Best Western at 1680 Oceanside Blvd. at 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 23.

Police said that when the victim stepped out of his car holding a satchel and envelope, the suspect approached him and said there something wrong with his car. He then reportedly pushed him into the victim’s car and grabbed the envelope containing the money.

The suspect fled the scene in a white SUV driven by another unidentified person.

The suspect is described as about 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 160 lbs.

He was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and dark pants at the time, police said.

Crime stoppers said it is offering up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest of the suspect in this case.

Anonymous tips can be email and texted to Crime Stoppers via www.sdcrimestoppers.org or its tip line at (888) 580-8477.

A man was attacked in the head with a hammer in Ocean Beach Wednesday, confirmed police.

It happened at the 4900 block of Niagara Avenue just after 11:00 a.m., according to San Diego Police (SDPD) and San Diego Fire-Rescue (SDFD). The suspect allegedly went back into his apartment after striking the victim with a hammer.

When police arrived at the scene they took the suspect into custody, said SDPD officers. The victim was bleeding profusely from his head.

Medics are evaluating the victim's condition. No further information was yet available.

Check back on this developing story for more details.

Armed guards have begun 24-hour security around the Malaysian morgue where North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam's body is being kept after an alleged break-in attempt, officials said Wednesday.

Since Kim Jong Nam's death on Feb. 13, no claims have been made to the body, but police have asked for DNA samples from a relative to ensure that it is in fact Kim Jong Nam.

Dental records and finger prints are currently being used to identify the corpse, the hospital carrying out the post-mortem examination confirmed to NBC News.

Malaysian officials said they do not believe the North Koreans were behind the forced entering — a suspect has been identified but they didn't release any information about the person.

It's also not clear what Malaysian officials classify as a "break-in."