An attorney representing a second woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says Republicans on the decisive Senate Judiciary Committee have thwarted her efforts to testify ahead of its vote on the jurist's appointment, now scheduled for Friday, NBC News reported.  

The committee's Republican majority "refused" to have a phone conversation about the possible testimony of Deborah Ramirez, and it has demanded she show all her cards before even negotiating an appearance, lawyer John Clune said Tuesday on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show."

"Here’s the problem, Rachel: They won’t talk to us," Clune said. "The demand that they keep making to us is, ‘Give us every piece of information that you have now and then we can talk about scheduling a phone call.' And that’s just not the kind of partisan game playing that our client deserves."

Ramirez emerged as a second Kavanaugh accuser Sunday after The New Yorker published a story in which she claimed Kavanaugh caused sexual contact without consent during a gathering when both attended Yale University in the 1983-84 school year.

Kavanaugh's first accuser, Christine Blasy Ford, told The New Yorker in a story published Sept. 14 that the federal judge got on top of her and put his hand over her mouth when both were in high school. The two are set to testify before the Judiciary Committee Thursday. 

Kavanaugh has denied both accusations. 

A special documentary screening marked the 40th anniversary of the 144 lives tragically lost when PSA Flight 182 collided with a Cessna in the sky above North Park.

The large crowd at Grossmont College included relatives or loved ones of crash victims, witnesses and first responders. All of them hold on to memories of that fall day in 1978, and some of them shared those memories in the film "Return to Dwight and Nile."

Michael Bagnas was a sophomore at a nearby high school when he heard a big boom.

"I said to my friends, ‘Hey, they're making a movie,’" he recounted. But Bagnas soon realized that what he was seeing was real. "It hit and literally the ground shook. Like it felt like it moved several inches underneath us and this big, huge fireball, mushroom cloud just billowed up."

Bill Nemec was a brand-new San Diego police officer who had just arrested burglary suspects.

"I was writing the report when all of a sudden we heard a radio report came in over the air that one of the officers was reporting that he had a jetliner down,” Nemec said.

He and two other officers jumped in an ambulance and headed to the crash site.

"There wasn't a whole lot of hope for finding survivors, yet we kept looking,” he said.

The men told NBC 7 that while their memories are horrific, gathering with others affected by the crash helps them cope.

Martin Ennis helped organize the documentary screening. As a history instructor at Grossmont College, he wants to make sure this piece of local history is always remembered.

"It was San Diego's hometown airline which made a bad event just a little bit worse,” he said.

At the screening, people talked about trying to get a memorial plaque placed near the intersection of Dwight and Nile streets, the spot where the plane crash landed, before the next anniversary.

Jessee Diaz spends the majority of his day sorting through hundreds of boxes of donations at his job at Goodwill Industries in Del Cerro.

He also tests electronics and appliances to make sure they still work.

On August 25, just after 2:30 pm, Jessee was picking his way through a stack of donated goods when he came upon a tempura fryer. He emptied the fryer out so that he could test it to see if it still worked. It was then that he saw a large bundle of tin foil.

“I was about to throw it in the trash actually,” Jessee told NBC 7 Responds. “I thought it was just trash.”

But Jessee had second thoughts. He opened up the tin foil.

“That’s when I saw five envelopes inside the tin foil with tons of hundreds and fifties,” said Jessee.

Jessee took the wad of cash to his manager. Together they counted the money. Inside was $46,400.

The search for the donor had begun.

Goodwill staff scoured through the receipts from that day and found one that matched. Management then sped through video footage taken from the day of the donation. All they had to go on was the name on the receipt.

It took a week, but the staff at Goodwill found a name: Debra Colarusso.

They tracked down a number and called her to confirm she was the person that donated the tempura fryer.

It was.

Debra told workers there that the fryer and other items belonged to her 79-year-old mother-in-law Michiko. Michiko’s husband Lee had recently passed and Michiko was having issues with her memory. The family had decided to lighten Michiko’s load and donate some of her belongings.

Debra said her husband and his siblings knew their parents had stashed away money each week but had no idea where that would be, if it was still there at all.

Goodwill Industries CEO Toni Giffin and NBC 7’s Consumer Bob were at the Del Cerro store to meet with Debra and give her the unexpected surprise.

“I think you might have donated a little bit more than you anticipated,” Giffin told Debra.

Giffin then handed Debra one thousand dollars in cash.

“Oh, my goodness,” said Debra when she saw the cash.

“It was their secret squirrel account,” she added. “When they got paid they would stash $100 into their secret account to save up for a rainy day.”

But that’s when Goodwill’s Giffin handed her an envelope. Inside was a check for the remaining $45,400. Goodwill Industries had deposited the cash to keep it safe.

Debra opened up the envelope.

“Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, forty-six thousand dollars?” Asked Debra.

Debra turned to Jessee Diaz who stood behind the counter while Giffin and others told her about the money.

“We would have had no knowledge of this if it hadn’t been for you,” she said facing Jessee. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much.”

Jessee looked at her and said, “You’re welcome.”

An injured turtle is riding in style thanks to zoo keepers at The Maryland Zoo. 

The wild eastern box turtle has been outfitted with a wheelchair made of Lego bricks. 

A zoo employee found the injured turtle in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland, in July. 

"He had multiple fractures on his plastron, the bottom part of his shell," said Dr. Ellen Bronson, senior director of animal health, conservation, and research at the zoo.

The turtle underwent surgery to fix its fractured shell. The zoo's veterinary team used metal bone plates, sewing clasps and surgical wire to hold pieces of the turtle's fractured shell together. 

The shell had to stay off the ground in order to heal, posing a challenge to staffers who had a hard time helping the turtle get around in the meantime.

That's when someone came up with the idea of the Lego wheelchair. 

"They don’t make turtle-sized wheelchairs. So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a Lego enthusiast," said Garrett Fraess, veterinary extern at the Zoo.

A few weeks later, the grapefruit-sized turtle received his own custom Lego wheelchair.  Zoo officials say the turtle took off as soon as he was outfitted with the miniature design.

"He never even hesitated," said Fraess. "He took off and has been doing great. Turtles are really good at healing as long as the shell remains stable."

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a controversial residential development in North County that will bring about 2,000 homes and commercial buildings to an open space in an unincorporated area near San Marcos.

The Newland Sierra development is planned just north of Deer Springs Road, west of Interstate 15.

The project calls for seven distinct neighborhoods with parks and 19 miles of trains and would include a small town center, according to Newland Communities, the group in charge of the project. The project would preserve more than 61 percent of the land west of Interstate 15 and north of State Route 78 as open space.

As it is, the property is zoned for commercial and office development and 99 large-lot homes in the General Plan.

Some supporters believe the plan is necessary in the midst of a housing crisis while opponents argue the development would only add high-priced homes to an already congested area near Interstate 15. 

Deborah Settles said when she learned of the planning commission had passed the project she was "totally stunned." "After all of the evidence presented, all of the residents spoke about what this is going to do to our country, our little valley, the gridlock, the emissions, the reclaimed water."

The planning commission in June voted 6-1 in favor of recommending the project to the full board. 

A suspected drunk driver leading police on a chase from Coronado to the U.S.-Mexico border crashed right before he was able to cross the San Ysidro Port of Entry, police said.

Officers with the San Diego Police Department attempted to pull over the driver for speeding in Coronado at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday but the driver took off.

The driver crossed the Coronado bridge and headed south on Interstate 5. At the last exit before the border, officers pulled off the chase.

Shortly after, officers were notified that the driver had crashed at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on the U.S. side.

The vehicle was flipped onto its side and under a pile of construction rubble.

The driver had major injuries and was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center to be treated.

Once released, he is expected to be booked into jail for suspicion of DUI and other charges in relation to the chase.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

Qatar Airways has confirmed an 11-month-old American baby died Wednesday morning after landing in the Indian city of Hyderabad from Doha, NBC News reported.

According to the airline, family members alerted staffers at Hyderabad Airport that Arnav Varma was "unwell" after deboarding the three-and-a-half-hour flight. 

Varma was rushed to Apollo Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival. According to his death certificate, Varma was born in New Jersey and his father, Anil Varma Alluri, is from Hyderabad.

San Diego State says junior running back Juwan Washington has a broken collarbone and is expected to be out for six weeks.

Washington was hurt in Saturday night's home overtime victory against Eastern Michigan. The Aztecs (3-1) are off Saturday before opening Mountain West Conference play at Boise State on Oct. 6.

Washington has 560 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries. The Aztecs were hoping he'd follow D.J. Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny as a 2,000-yard rusher.

His replacement, sophomore Chase Jasmin, has 244 yards and one score on 43 carries.

Washington also sat out most of the fourth quarter of a home win against Arizona State on Sept. 15. He said he was "banged up a little bit" after carrying 27 times for 138 yards and a score.

Below, read the written testimony that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh prepared ahead of a hearing where he will address a sexual assault allegation brought by professor Christine Blasey Ford.

Ford alleges, and Kavanaugh denies, that he held her down, tried to take off her clothes and stifled her cries for help during a high school party in suburban Washington, D.C.

Two other women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. One, Deborah Ramirez, said he made her touch his penis during a party at Yale. Another, Julie Swetnick, alleged that she saw Kavanaugh "engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls" and tried to inebriate them so they could be "gang raped" at high school parties. She said she was the victim of such an attack, though she did not specifically allege that Kavanaugh took part.

Kavanaugh denied both women's accusations. Here is his testimony, as released by the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee:

Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name.

Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country.

As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever.

Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law.

Dr. Ford’s allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes.

The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.

I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge.

The MCAS Miramar Air Show 2018 theme is 100 years of women serving in the Marines. NBC 7's Bridget Naso speaks to one female pilot about what it means to her to serve.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., addressed the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “These are human beings, with families and children,” he said of Kavanaugh and his most prominent accuser, and that not much has been learned since the Anita Hill hearings in 1991.

A new lifeguard division chief was named by SDFD Wednesday, and he’s anything but new to the department.

James Gartland will take over the role. He has been with SDFD’s lifeguards for 23 years.

Gartland has also been serving as interim chief for the past six months.

“Chief Gartland has protected San Diego residents and visitors enjoying our beautiful beaches and bays for more than two decades,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. “He is the right choice to lead our lifeguard division into the future.”

Gartland graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in business administration and accounting.

He has chaired both the San Diego Regional Aquatic Lifesaving Emergency Response Task Force and the Area Maritime Security Subcommittee on Preventative Radiological Nuclear Detection.

Gartland was the former fiduciary and trustee of the San Diego City Employees Retiree Medical Trust.

The new chief also spent 18 months as the regional maritime emergency preparedness manager with the city’s Homeland Security office.

“He has the attributes, skills and experience that make him the best choice to lead the lifeguard division,” said Fire Chief Colin Stowell.

Gartland is currently a member of the Type 3 San Diego All-Hazards Incident Management Team and the president of the Old Town Academy School Advisory Board.

“I promise to continue my lifeguard service with honor and humility,” Gartland said.

The new lifeguard division chief officially assumed his role on September 22.

A Colorado company is recalling more than 132,000 pounds of ground beef after an E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened 17.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday the beef items were produced and packaged at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan on June 21 and were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

In California, Vons, Safeway, Albertson's, Target, FoodMaxx and Pak N Save may have been sold contaminated beef, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said. 

FSIS did specify that the list of affected stores could include stores that did not actually receive contaminated product and that the best option was for shoppers to check the identification labels. 

The recalled products include 3-, 10- and 20-pound (1.3-, 4.5- and 9-kilogram) chubs of ground beef under the Our Certified, Excel, Sterling Silver, Certified and Fire River Farms brands with July 11 use or freeze by dates.

The Cargill plant had a smaller recall of Excel brand ground beef in August, but at that time no illnesses had been reported.

Most people infected with E. coli develop diarrhea and vomiting, but more severe infections can lead to kidney failure.

A 5-acre vegetation fire broke out north of the Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook just before noon Wednesday.

Camp Pendleton’s fire department is at the scene.

The fire is holding at this time, according to a tweet from Camp Pendleton officials.

Smoke may be visible in the area.

CPFD said the fire is no threat to the surrounding area.

No other information was available at this time.

A couple's attempt to highlight public reaction to child endangerment backfired, their hidden camera social experiment instead led to criminal charges, an investigation and their 3-year-old being taken away from them.

Laura Quijano can be seen on camera explaining the social experiment to her 3-year-old son Leo. The hidden camera experiment involved 28-year-old Boguslaw Matlak placing his son in the trunk of his car to see if bystanders intervened.

“The back of the seat was folded open and my wife was in the car and she was just taking him," Matlak said.

The multi-camera shoot took place outside the Panera bread at the Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge on Sept. 2.

"I was thinking maybe I should do a video to show people that they should do something about it when they see something wrong, to get involved," Matlak said.

Witnesses called police — and Matlak, despite his explanations, was arrested and charged with child endangerment.

"I was in shock," he said. "I got arrested."

As a result, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services removed Leo from his parents' custody and placed him with a relative. For the last three weeks the couple has complied with every request trying to get him back.

"We have provided them with all of the proof that this was not real," Quijano said. "That my son was not in danger."

DCFS investigators even re-enacted the trunk illusion with the young boy at his home.

Rina Infelise, Quijano's attorney, says her client made a mistake, but doesn't deserve to be treated like a criminal.

"Anybody can make a poor decision, every error in judgment made by a parent doesn't equal abuse and neglect," Infelise said.

While they say they understand the need for the investigation, Quijano and Matlak say it’s taking too long.

"They are hurting my son emotionally at this point," Quijano said. "He's not home with his parents who love him very much and what else do they want from us? I just don’t understand at this point."

Shortly after NBC 5's inquiries to DCFS, the family was notified that the agency would be returning Leo to their custody.

Matlak still faces one count of misdemeanor child endangerment and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

A gas line broke and began leaking in Midtown Wednesday afternoon.

A one and one-quarter inch steel gas pipe was damaged by a contractor, according to an SDG&E spokesperson.

The leak occurred on Union Street in a residential neighborhood.

No evacuations were ordered and no outages will occur for those in the area, SDG&E told NBC 7.

The nearby intersection was blocked for maintenance, said the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Crews were called in at around 12:10 p.m. However, they said they aren’t sure how long the repairs will take.

No other information was reported at this time.

On the eve of what could be make-or-break testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about sexual misconduct allegations against President Donald Trump's pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump held a rare solo news conference. Here are some of the top moments.

Trump: Democrats Would Have Voted Against Washington
Even the country’s first president would have been voted down by Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats opposed to Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, the president said.

“I’m relying on very fair and talented Republican senators,” Trump said. “If we brought George Washington here and we said ‘We have George Washington,’ the Democrats would vote against him, just so you understand.

“He may have had a bad past,” Trump added of Washington. “Who knows? He may have had some I think accusations made. Didn’t he have a couple things in his past? George Washington would be voted against 100 percent by Schumer and the con artists. One hundred percent, 100 percent.”

Trump Says He Could Change His Mind Once He Hears From the Women
CNN’s Jim Acosta began his question with the suggestion that Trump call on a woman to address the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.

“What does he mean by that?” Trump said looking out over the room. “Explain.”

“I think it would be great if a female reporter would ask you a question about this issue,” Acosta said.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Trump said.

Acosta continued on to ask Trump why he always seemed to side with the accused, not the accuser, to which the president said it would possible that he would change his mind when he heard from the women.

And his next question went to Hallie Jackson of NBC News, who asked whether the president thought all three women who had made allegations against Kavanaugh were liars. (NBC News has since reported on a fourth misconduct allegation).

“I can’t tell you,” Trump said. “I have to watch tomorrow.”

Trump on If He Believes the Women Who Have Accused Kavanaugh
Trump was pressed by several reporters about whether he believed the women who were making accusations against Kavanaugh. Did he think they were liars?

“I won’t get into that game,” he said, but did disparage Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for one of the women, calling him a low life.

Trump extolled Kavanaugh’s qualifications, calling him “one of the highest quality people” he had ever met, but he also said he could be convinced by the women, and when he was asked whether there was a scenario under which he would withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination, he said yes.

“If I thought he was guilty of something like this, sure,” he said.

He questioned why Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had waited so long to raise the accusation from Ford and why no charges had been brought in the 36 years since Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party. Feinstein has said that Ford initially asked for confidentiality and declined to press the matter further.

“I hope I can watch,” he said of Thursday's testimony before the Judiciary Committee. “I’m meeting with a lot of countries tomorrow.”

As far of whether sexual misconduct accusations that have been made against Trump affected his opinion, the president said yes.

“It does impact my opinion,” he said. “You know why? Because I've had a lot of false charges made against me.”

“People want fame," he said. "They want money. They want whatever. So when I see it, I view it differently than someone sitting at home watching television.”

Trump on Rosenstein

Trump also made a little news regarding Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

President Donald Trump says he would "certainly prefer not" to fire Rosenstein and says he may delay a highly anticipated meeting with him.

Trump said Wednesday that Rosenstein denied making remarks attributed to him in a New York Times report, including that Rosenstein discussed secretly recording Trump last year.

Trump and Rosenstein had been scheduled to meet Thursday.

Trump says he may postpone that meeting because he is focused on an extraordinary Senate committee hearing set for the same day with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

"They Weren't Laughing at Me"
“They weren’t laughing at me. They were laughing with me.”

That was Trump’s response during Thursday’s press conference when asked about the laughter his U.N. address elicited from world leaders Tuesday.

He also said it was “fake news.”

“The fake news said people laughed — they didn’t laugh at me. People had a good time with me. We were doing it together. We had a good time. They respect what I’ve done. The United States is respected again,” Trump said.

The president had been highlighting U.S. gains under his watch as he opened his address to the U.N. General Assembly. He said the American economy was “booming like never before” and that his administration has accomplished more in less than two years than almost any other administration.

His boast elicited laughter from the scores of heads of state and delegates in the audience for the speech.

Trump, who has long claimed that his predecessors’ weak leadership prompted other nations “to laugh” at the US. appeared flustered and responded, “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”

Later, as he was leaving the U.N., he told reporters that he had meant to be funny.

“Oh it was great, well, that was meant to get some laughter, so it was great,” he said.

In his speech Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. is a “stronger, safer and richer country” than when he took office in January 2017. He said “we are standing up for America and for the American people, and we are also standing up for the world.”

"Yes Please, Mr. Kurd"
Trump referred to one Kurdish journalist as “Mr. Kurd,” as he called on him during the press conference.

A previous reporter had identified himself from Kurdistan when the second man said he was too.

Turning to him, Trump said. “Yes please, Mr. Kurd.”

“Go ahead.”

The man asked what the U.S. relationship with the Kurds — an ethnic group living in areas across southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southwestern Armenia — would be post-ISIS.

“We’re trying to help them a lot,” Trump said. “I want to help them. They fought with us. They died with us.”

The Metro Arson Strike Team is investigating the cause of a car fire that started in a South Bay parking lot.

A yellow Ford Mustang caught fire at around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August 3, while parked at the Iris Trolley Station.

The suspect entered the car, started a fire inside the Mustang, and walked away, according to video surveillance at the scene.

The footage shows a man wearing a black t-shirt and grey shorts.

Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 to anyone with information that can lead to an arrest in this case.

Anyone with knowledge on the suspect’s identity is asked to call MAST at 619-236-6815 or Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477.