Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Thursday he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a view at odds with the opinion of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NBC News reported.

"I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see ," Pruitt told CNBC's "Squawk Box.""But we don't know that yet ... We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis."

In fact, there is a global scientific consensus on carbon dioxide's role in climate change.

NASA says on its website that "humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived 'forcing' of climate change."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts across the world, said in its Fifth Assessment Report that "there's a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet" and "a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures over the past 50 years."

Using a mix of “math, science and precision,” a spirited University of San Diego (USD) graduate is gearing up to open her own local distillery in an industry historically dominated by men.

Laura Johnson graduated from USD in 2014. For the past few years, she has been working on conceptualizing and launching You & Yours Distilling Co., an urban distillery and tasting room located at 1495 G St. in downtown San Diego’s East Village.

After many hurdles, the business is set to open its doors on Thursday. It will be among the country’s few female-led distilleries, and Johnson is completely comfortable with that. In fact, she welcomes the challenge.

“Historically, the distilling industry has been a Boys’ Club,” she told NBC 7 on Tuesday. “I’m excited to teach people about distilling and bring people into this world."

“At the end of the day, I’m a distiller with a passion, who just happens to be a female. There are several of us around the country already distilling. We are the minority but already, I’m seeing a lot of women pop up in the industry.”

Growing up in North Texas, Johnson said she developed an appreciation for spirits early on – more specifically, the science of what makes a good drink. In college, she took a road trip and made a pit stop at a distillery. From that point on, she felt she had found her calling.

“I was fascinated by the care, art and process of distilling – enthralled by how spirits are made,” she recalled. “It is difficult – nitty-gritty – the math, science and precision of it all."

After college, Johnson took a few master distilling classes and tried to get a job at several distilleries across California. No one was hiring, so she set her sights higher and began to formulate plans to open her very own distillery.

Her vision came at a good time, just as the craft cocktail trend swept the restaurant and bar industry, including San Diego’s dining scene.

“I think craft spirits are the final frontier in the craft cocktails trend,” she explained, adding that craft spirits have craft brewers to thank for paving the way, especially in San Diego.

When You & Yours Distilling Co. opens, the cozy 2,300-square-foot space will feature a production area in the back, where she will do the distilling, and a bar and tasting room area in the front, where patrons can order cocktails and taster flights of her concoctions.

To start, Johnson said her distillery will serve one type of craft vodka and one type of craft gin – and a variety of cocktails featuring the spirits.

She described the vodka as 100 percent grape-based – distilled from fermented grapes – featuring “fruity, floral and vanilla notes” with a smooth finish. The gin, called "Sunday Gin," which Johnson hopes will become You & Yours’ flagship spirit, is also 100 percent grape-based and “citrus-forward and fresh,” while also keeping in line with the traditional qualities of gin.

“It’s my baby – my passion project,” she explained. “I want [You & Yours] to be known for gins.”

Johnson said it took her just under a year to develop the recipe for each spirit. A batch of each – which makes about 4,000 bottles – takes about 10 days to make.

Her process includes starting with what those in the industry refer to as a “distiller’s beer” – fermented fruit wine or beer – and putting that into a still for “stripping runs,” which removes the organic material and heightens the alcohol content. The number of stripping runs depends on the type of spirit she’s distilling. After that, she adds water.

“It’s a very detail-oriented job,” Johnson added. “I love it.”

When the distillery opens, patrons will have a chance to quench their curiosity about the spirits-making process with tours of the back room. Johnson said she plans to offer tours on the weekends that, of course, end with a tasting.

"Come on in, grab a cocktail, we’ll bring you back through to the distillery floor, kind of give you a mini distilling 101 – tell you about the story, the products, the process," she told NBC 7. "We’ll come back to the tasting room and I will lead you through a guided tasting of our current offerings."

Patrons will also be able to buy bottles of spirits on site that they can take home and mix up however they so choose. For now, the distillery will be open Thursday through Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Johnson hopes the warm, living room-inspired space quickly becomes a place for people to gather, laugh, learn and share a toast.

“A place and experience – a moment – where people can come together and enjoy and elevated, inviting experience, get to know one another.”

Her team has poured their hearts and souls into the products, and she said they will do the same on the hospitality side.

To learn more about You & Yours Distilling Co., click here. Johnson also runs the Distillerista, a blog about craft spirits, cocktails and entertaining.

Staples announced Thursday it would close 70 stores in 2017 after reporting fourth-quarter sales that were far weaker than analysts expected.

The largest U.S. office-supply chain reported a $548 million loss and a 3% drop in sales in the fiscal fourth quarter that ended in January.

Staples stock gave up 19 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $8.77 during morning trade, The Associated Press reported.

A spokesman for the Framingham, Massachusetts-based company said those results prompted Staples’ decision to close 70 stores in 2017, or 4.5% of its 1,600 remaining locations as it works to overhaul operations.

The latest store closings come on the heels of 48 shutterings last year, and a combined 242 in the two prior years. Staples had 1,255 U.S. stores and 304 Canadian locations. The retailer also operates some stores around the world.

The retailer tried to merge with rival Office Depot, but that deal was blocked by the Federal Trade Commission a year ago.

"I’m increasingly confident that we have the right plan and the right team to transform Staples and get back to sustainable sales and earnings growth,” said Shira Goodman, Staples’ Chief Executive Officer. “I am particularly proud of our ability to grow our delivery business by continuing to enhance our offering and satisfy our business customers.”

Traditional brick-and-mortar stores have been under pressure for some time due to greater competition from online outfits such as Amazon.

On Wednesday, RadioShack filed for bankruptcy for the second time in two years, announcing it would close 200 of its 1,500 stores and placing the future of the remaining stores in doubt.

A gas station awning collapsed Thursday in El Cajon.

Video captured by an NBC 7 news crew showed the awning on the ground in front of an independent gas station at East Main and 1st.

The Super Star gas station reported the damage just after 5 a.m.

No one was injured. Heartland firefighters called for a structural engineer to examine the integrity of the building.

No other information was available.

A scary night for people who were at a hookah lounge in Rolando.

San Diego Police said someone fired several shots into the Blue Nile Hookah Lounge on El Cajon Blvd. about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday. 

"I heard two bullet shots through the glass," said Sharmarke Abdisalan, who was inside the lounge. "Everybody starting shouting, 'bullets, bullets.' Then I jumped through the chair. I actually couldn't run because I have a prosthetic leg. I almost broke my leg. I tried to hide in the chair."

Abdisalan said people ran for cover. 

No one inside was injured.

Police are looking for the shooter. 

Investigators found several bullet casings outside the lounge. They are interviewing witnesses and checking for surveillance video. 

No other information was available.

A body was found Thursday at an Oceanside construction site, police said.

Officers were investigating what they described as a suspicious death at 212 Windward Way.

The location is two blocks east of The Strand, north of Surfrider Way.

Officers have most of the area blocked off for their investigation and are waiting for the arrival of the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

Homicide investigators have released the picture of a man killed in a brutal December attack in the hopes of finding the person responsible.

Gregory Huser, 66, was found dead on December 12 along Park Boulevard. The road runs along the perimeter of Balboa Park and leads to the parking area of the San Diego Zoo. 

Someone called 911 at approximately 2 a.m. to report finding Huser's body in a grassy area.

SDPD homicide detectives said Huser suffered major head trauma and may have been sleeping on the embankment when he was attacked.

There have been no arrests. On March 9, San Diego County Crimestoppers released Huser's photo. San Diego police want anyone who may have been in the park on December 12 to contact them.

The SDPD Homicide Unit can be reached at (619) 531-2293. Anyone can call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

House Speaker Paul Ryan used a digital presentation at a press conference Thursday to further sell his plan for repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act—and the interenet immediately poked fun at him.

Ryan explained the complex tenets of the Republican-drafted bill to replace the health care law, using graphs and other visual aids to plainly make his talking points. 

The image of Ryan, with his sleeves rolled up, gesturing at a television screen, was low-hanging fruit for the web.

Twitter users pounced, comparing Ryan to a teacher and sharing photos of the TV screen with completely unrelated images displayed on it.  

More than 100 tow truck and flatbed carriers from across San Diego County will come together honor a beloved fellow tow truck driver, killed when a suspected drunk driver struck him on the side of a highway. 

Fred Griffith, 55, an employee of RoadOne San Diego, was struck and killed on the side of State Route 52 on Feb. 23.

The suspected drunk driver, Michael Gilbert Gray, 48, is facing multiple charges in his death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. After Gray struck Griffith, he fled the scene, prosecutors say, but an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer saw the crash and pulled him over. 

On Saturday morning, a tow truck and emergency vehicle procession will roll out from RoadOne Towing on Chesapeake Drive at approximately 11:30 a.m. to honor Griffith.

Trucks will roll out of the lot with headlights, four-way flashers and amber lights on as they head down Ruffin Road toward State Route 52 eastbound. 

The procession will continue up over the Mission Trails Summit, past the crash site, and mid-way up the summit between Santos Road and Mast Boulevard. 

Gray, a single father of three boys and beloved tow truck driver, was loved by many in the community during his more than 20 years in the industry. 

Organizers of the event say Griffith was known throughout Southern California as a safety instructor who taught tow truck safety to fellow drivers.

They hope the procession will help raise awareness for California's "Slow Down, Move Over" law. According to the Federal National Traffic Incident Management Program, a tow operator's job is listed as being one of the nation's deadliest.

"His death underlines the dangers that tow operators face every day," said a statement from event organizers. "We’re asking that San Diego’s motorists’ slow-down and move-over so to give towers and all first responders the room to help motorists in peril."

Those who see the procession on the roads are asked to be alert and patient, as the procession will be slow moving. 

Those who would like to donate to the family can do so by clicking here. 

Amid rising tensions at local town halls, three local representatives - one Democrat and two Republicans - are coming home to San Diego to speak with their constituents. 

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R- 49th District), U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D- 53rd District) and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R - 50th District) will all hold separate town hall events this Saturday to speak with their constituents. 

The Representatives are expected to discuss health care reform, local legislative priorities and other issues important to constituents. San Diegans will also have opportunities to speak directly with their Representatives to ask questions and share input. 

Many local lawmakers have faced tensions in the past when coming home to speak with constituents. Recently, Issa has faced protesters outside his office and outside his town hall upset with the GOP's plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. During a joint town hall, Davis and U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D - 52nd District) faced angry residents, demanding more outrage from their lawmakers amid happenings in our nation's capitol under the new President and GOP-led Congress. 

This Saturday, town hall events for Davis, Issa and Hunter are either completely booked or are expected to fill up quickly. 

Hunter's town hall will start at 10 a.m. and go for two hours at Mainstage Ramona, located at 626 Main St. The event is expected to fill up, and those wishing to attend are asked to arrive early. For more information, click here. 

Issa's town hall will be held during two separate sessions to try to accommodate as many San Diegans as possible. The first session will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the second will begin at 10 a.m. The town hall will be held at the Junior Seau Recreation Center in Oceanside. 

The events are expected to fill up; attendees are asked to register in advance to reserve a seat. To register, click here. Check in will begin no more than 30 minutes prior to the event's start time. 

A small number of spots will be available at the door to accommodate those with disabilities and special needs. To learn more, click here. 

Davis will also hold a town hall on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. However, the 1,200 seat venue has already reached capacity. On the event page, Davis invites constituents to email or call her with specific issues. For more information, click here. The town hall will be live streamed. 

Seven people have been arrested after a series of search warrants were served across San Diego's North County, San Diego Sheriff's Department Spokesman Ryan Keim confirmed to NBC 7. 

The search warrants were served at five locations across the North County Thursday morning in conjunction with Oceanside, Carlsbad and Escondido Police, Keim said. SWAT teams also assisted. 

During the raids, authorities located and seized assault rifles, handguns, magazines, silencers, marijuana, methamphetamine and "thousands" of rounds of ammunition, Keim said. 

Escondido police told NBC 7 they brought a Bearcat and four to five SWAT officers to assist with perimeter control during one raid. 

Seven people were arrested, and no one was injured. 

No further information was available. 

Check back for updates on this story. 

San Diego Police (SDPD) have found a missing at-risk teen who was last seen near a bus stop in Logan Heights. 

The teen was reported missing Thursday morning. She has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, police said. 

She was initially reported missing after she did not make it to school. 

She has been found safe and unharmed, police said. 

No other information was available.

When asked whether Mexico would pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall during an interview Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said "uh, no," NBC News reported.

McConnell told Politico he believes there are certain areas along the border that don’t need a border wall for security. The wall is estimated to cost $21.6 billion to build—a price Trump has said Mexico will pay.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has continuously refuted claims that Mexico will pay for the wall, but Trump has refused to back off the claim.

Five families are scheduled to arrive in San Diego next week, before the revised executive order on immigration takes effect, according to a non-profit organization that works to resettle refugees in the region.

The state of Washington said Thursday it would renew its request to block the newest executive order signed Monday by President Donald Trump. Other states have plans to join in on Washington's legal action while Hawaii has launched its own lawsuit.

“Over the last three weeks, between executive orders, we resettled a family from Afghanistan and then two families and two single individuals from Iraq. How grateful are they,” Jewish Family Service San Diego CEO Michael Hopkins asked those who attended a public forum Wednesday night at Temple Emanu-El.

Several people spoke about the status of refugee resettlement in the U.S. following the March 6 signing of the newest executive order.

The revised travel order leaves Iraq off the list of banned countries but still affects would-be visitors from Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya.

Mark Hetfield, U.S. president and CEO of HIAS, the oldest international migration and refugee resettlement agency, said he sees no difference between the revised travel order and the one rejected by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

He described it as “a little less cruel and chaotic than the first one.”

“Make no mistake about it," he said. "The refugee ban in this executive order is totally intact and remains unchanged from the previous one. The Muslim ban is basically intact.”

Basma Al-Khateeb, an aid worker from Baghdad, was able to move to San Diego with the help of a Jewish host family. She had to leave Iraq when she could no longer protect her daughters from threats of violence. 

She offered a perspective for those hoping to settle in San Diego.

When they learn they are leaving for the U.S., refugees will sell or give away anything they can’t pack and take with them, she said.

“When you fled your country, you leave so many things,” she said describing how she had to leave behind mementoes of her parents. “You bring your home with you. Your loved ones with you.”

She said she couldn’t imagine getting approval to relocate, getting on a plane  and then being told she could not enter the U.S.

“That would be the most difficult thing,” Al-Khateeb said. “Just thinking you just have nowhere to go.”

Hetfield asked those who wish to support the resettlement of refugees in the U.S., make noise and get involved.

The Anti-Defamation League of San Diego County, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Jewish Federation of San Diego and the Leichtag Foundation hosted the discussion.

Since 2005, Jewish Family Service San Diego has resettled more than 3800 refugees in our region, Hopkins said.

Oil prices tumbled this week, but drivers dreaming of cheap summer road trips might want to temper their expectations: Experts say a host of factors, including overseas output cuts and refinery operations, will actually make for higher gas prices over the coming months, NBC News reported.

The benchmark price of West Texas Intermediate fell 5 percent on Wednesday, dropping below $50. On Thursday, the price of crude oil fell to $49.28, its lowest close since November.

However, this is the time of year when demand from refiners historically weakens, as they make the switch from winter to summer blends and perform maintenance in advance of the summer driving season.

"Everyone forgets about the middleman — the U.S. refiner,"said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. "They're not drawing down inventory because they're doing maintenance on their plants."

One person was taken to the hospital after a rollover crash in Point Loma, authorities confirmed. 

The crash happened at approximately 1 p.m. on the 2000 block of Catalina Boulevard in San Diego's Point Loma neighborhood, according to SDPD Officer Martinez. 

A child and its mother were involved in the crash, Martinez said. 

San Diego Police said the person taken to the hospital only sustained minor injuries and is expected to survive. 

No other information was available.

At least seven people were injured and one suspect is custody Wednesday night after one or more ax-wielding attackers rampaged through the main train station in Düsseldorf, Germany, police told NBC News.

Police were still looking for other possible suspects, a spokesman for the German federal police said.

German police said the suspect is a 36-year-old man from former Ygoslavia, and he apparently suffers from mental health issues.

Three victims are severely injured and four are lightly injured, police said.

Earlier report said two suspects were in custody.
 

The death of a Connecticut resident has been linked to a Listeria outbreak connected to cheese from a creamery in New York, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local officials have identified Ouleout cheese from Vulto Creamery of Walton, New York, as the likely cause of the outbreak. 

State officials said Thursday that there have been six confirmed cases of Listeria monocytogenes in Connecticut, Florida, New York, and Vermont. The people sickened by the cheese range in age from 0 to 89. 

Two of the six cases have been fatal, including a Connecticut resident. 

Vulto Creamery began contacting customers to return any purchased Ouleout cheese on March 3 after the FDA alerted them to Listeria-positive Ouleout cheese sample and issued a formal recall including their Miranda, Heinennelli, Willowemoc cheeses as well. 

Officials from the state Department of Public Health said the soft raw milk cheeses were distributed nationwide, with most being sold at retail locations in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, California, Chicago, Portland, and Washington D.C.

State officials said Whole Foods grocery in Connecticut had received cheese from Vulto to sell in its Fairfield shop and initiated its own recall. 

Specialty cheese shops in Connecticut who carry Vulto Creamery cheeses might have received recalled product and should check their inventory, according to the Department of Public Health. 

Retailers and customers who have recalled cheese in their establishments or homes should throw the cheese away and not eat or sell it.

Display cases or refrigerators where potentially contaminated product was stored should be washed and sanitized, as well as any cutting boards or cheese knives used to cut, serve, or store the product. Hands should be washed with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitization process.

Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes.

Anyone who experiences fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, or develops fever and chills while pregnant after eating any of the recalled products, should seek medical care.

Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food.

Read more about the recall here.

The Office of Government Ethics shot back at the White House for not disciplining Kellyanne Conway for her endorsement of Ivanka Trump's clothing line during an appearance on Fox News, NBC News reported.

In letters to the White House Counsel's office and top members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee Thursday, OGE Director Walter Shaub said he remains "concerned about Ms. Conway's misuse of position." He said that under such circumstances, not taking disciplinary action against Conway, a senior official, risks undermining the ethics program.

Last week, the president's deputy counsel called Conway's comments "inadvertent" and said it was unlikely that they would happen again. The White House said it would not punish Conway for her endorsement.

FBI Director James Comey met with key Senate lawmakers Thursday, where he discussed matters relating to the alleged wire-tapping of Trump Tower, a congressional source familiar with the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election told NBC News.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has repeatedly dodged questions about the president's tweets claiming the alleged surveillance and he has instead called on House and Senate committees to look into the matter.

Trump has not asked Comey about the alleged wiretaps, Spicer told reporters Tuesday.