Michael Avenatti ruled out a run for president in 2020, saying on Twitter that his family requested he not do so, NBC News reported.

The attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels said in a statement, "I do not make this decision lightly — I make it out of respect for my family. But for their concerns, I would run."

Avenatti also said he "will not rest" until President Donald Trump "is removed from office" and that he will continue representing Daniels, who recently said he filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump against her wishes.

Avenatti had recently traveled to the early primary states of new Hampshire and Iowa and raised money for other Democrats. But he was arrested last month on suspicion of domestic violence.

If you've strung some tinsel around a window or nailed a wreath to the door, then you know what every aspiring holiday decorator soon finds out: Even the tiniest of tasks takes some real effort and a whole bunch of Christmas-flavored can-do.

Now imagine being tasked with tinselling a large lobby or adding an over-sized tree to a spacious reception area or filling a landmark entryway with all manner of merry gewgaws and Noël-inspired knickknackery.

It's going to take time. It's going to take creativity. It's going to take some grease of the elbow assortment. And, yes, oodles of effort, on the behalf of several people, is the engine of the pretty-making push.

Such is the seasonal way with some of DTLA's most historic and hallowed structures, those sizable spots that are often seen on look-back tours celebrating some of our most storied buildings.

Not every famous downtown place hangs the boughs and bows for the holidays, of course, but some do, and, as is charming tradition, LA Conservancy will visit a few of those destinations, and Pershing Square, too, which is currently home to the Bai Holiday Ice Rink.

Spots do sell out, and have, but there are some left, if you're tempted to see this once-a-year sight with a fact-smart docent at the lead.

A ticket is $15, and "holiday attire" is most definitely suggested.

You can't spell DTLA without "la," an essential part of fa, la, la, so best fa, la, la your way to a ticket for this annual treat that has local history, yuletide splendor, and architectural admiration at heart.

A U.S. citizen was detained in a Florida prison and flagged for deportation despite his repeated pleas to authorities that he was American and the county’s own jail files indicating he was born in Philadelphia, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.

NBC News reports Peter Sean Brown turned himself in to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for a probation violation in April, after testing positive for marijuana. The 50-year-old, who had been living in Florida for the last 10 years, was soon a fast track to deportation to Jamaica.

"Despite his repeated protests to multiple jail officers, his offer to produce proof, and the jail’s own records, the Sheriff’s Office held Mr. Brown so that ICE could deport him to Jamaica — a country where he has never lived and knows no one," the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center said.

After three weeks in jail, Brown was turned over to ICE, which eventually confirmed he was in fact a U.S. citizen and "hastily arranged for his release."

The lawsuit accuses the sheriff's office of "carelessly and aggressively" arresting people for ICE under what's known as a Basic Ordering Agreement between the two, where the sheriff's office receives $50 for each individual it holds at ICE's request.

A person died in a fiery crash on the Ventura (101) Freeway in Sherman Oaks, causing a back up for miles.

Details about the crash were not immediately available. But aerial footage showed a charred SUV on its side and at least two other cars in lanes of the 101 near Sepulveda Boulevard.

Police ended a lengthy pursuit in the Long Beach area after an armed robbery suspect in a blue sedan drove on the wrong side of the road, and weaved in and out of freeway lanes early Tuesday afternoon.

At one point, the driver was seen traveling on the opposite side of the road in the Wilmington area just before noon.

The driver was spotted racing down the 91 Freeway in the Long Beach area, heading east, before transitioning to the southbound 605 Freeway. 

Police continued to chase the driver who was reaching high speeds after exiting the freeway into the Lakewood area.

Police ultimately stopped the pursuit with a PIT maneuver, sending the driver into a spin-out, at Carson Street east of Lakewood Boulevard. 

A young woman who spent weeks traveling with a caravan of Central American migrants while pregnant gave birth in San Diego after crossing illegally into the U.S. to request asylum. 

Maryuri was more than seven months pregnant when she left Honduras with her husband, Miguel, and their three-year-old son on Oct. 17. The family spent weeks traveling north by foot and by bus until they reached Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

"He was born here in San Diego," Maryuri said holding her eight-day-old child -- a United States citizen by birth -- in an interview with NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20.

The already-difficult journey to get to the United States was made even more complicated for the family because of Maryuri's pregnancy. 

"Thank God she did her part, but there were times we stayed until the last [of the caravan]," Miguel said. 

After spending some time in a Tijuana shelter, the couple said they did not feel safe, surrounded by some Mexicans who were hostile towards their presence, and decided to cross the border illegally. 

According to the Customs and Border Protection officials, on Monday, Nov. 26, agents assigned to patrol the Imperial Beach coast spotted the pregnant woman attempting to cross.

It was about 8 p.m. when the couple asked for asylum from the United States and was taken into custody, they told NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20.  

Maryuri said she did not know the next day she would give birth to her second son in a San Diego hospital. 

"The day I came across felt a little pain, but I thought it will be because of my nerves," Maryuri said. The next morning, the pain increased and the woman was taken to a hospital in San Diego, according to CBP. 

The baby was born on Nov. 27, 2018. 

The mother and son spent several more days at the hospital, where she said at times, "I felt like a criminal." 

Maryuri said CBP agents closed all the windows and stood guard in the doorway at all times. When hospital officials brought her and the infant food or clothes, agents checked all of it, according to Maryuri. 

Miguel was allowed to visit his wife and newborn child on the third day of their stay and when Maryuri was released from the hospital, she was sent back to a detention center to finish her asylum claim. 

The family on Saturday was released into the United States until their asylum claim can be seen by a judge.

They have been staying with an American woman who volunteered to house refugees. The two were put in touch by Enrique Morales, the leader of the Border Angels Foundation, a San Diego non-profit focused on migrant rights. 

Maryuri credits him with giving them strength to continue fighting for asylum within the United States. 

"I asked him and he asked God to give us encouragement to move on." 

Her second reason -- a better life for her newborn son. 

A man was let into a Chinatown senior apartment building and allegedly beat a resident in what police officers are calling the most horrific attack they have witnessed.

The victim was beaten so severely Nov. 27 that he was left in a medically-induced coma at County USC Medical Center.

"It was a horrific attack," LAPD Capt. Marc Reina said.

Metro Lofts surveillance video captured the attack that shows the suspect, seemingly unprovoked, begin wailing on 67-year-old Rene Holovsky as he clutches his dog's leash, the animal unable to run away as the attacker allegedly lifts a table and smashes it over Holovsky. The animal was unharmed.

The suspect, identified by police as 32-year-old Sean Roger Halpin, is believed to have followed a resident into the building, gaining access to the fourth floor.

The attacker is seen on video repeatedly kicking the man in the head, at times using the full force of his body to stomp on the defenseless victim.

Video shows at times, the attacker retreats momentarily, but then returns. At one point the suspect is seen picking up a table and smashing the unconscious man.

He then allegedly continued the beating using legs from the table, repeatedly bashing the man's head. 

Police said the suspect then left the building, and was found by officers a block or two away.

The initial police report alleges Halpin, a recent arrival from Northern California, was either mentally ill, drug addicted, or both.

Police are unsure if he was homeless, but did not find a current residence linked to his name.

Holovsky, a retired cabinet maker and artist, went through six hours of surgery, and has spent days in a medically induced coma. He remains in intensive care.

Susan Staudt, the victim's partner, said they share the apartment along with their dog Wally.

"He has multiple fractures in his skull, and his vertebrae in his neck," she said.

She said he was able to finally talk Tuesday.

"Just today, he said 'I love you,'" she said.

Residents who live in the Metro Lofts are on fixed incomes. Some said they have seen an increase of mentally ill and drug addicted people on the street, some of whom try to intimidate their way into the building.

"They are jacked up and loaded, and what are you going to do?" Yolanda de la Torre said.

Halpin was being held on $1,050,000 bail, with one felony count each of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. 

As the region braces for possible rain and flooding, officials are urging residents to be aware and sign for alerts.

In Santa Barbara County, an area hit hard by deadly mudslides earlier this year, officials are already recommending residents evacuate as storms are expected overnight.

Here, you can find ways to sign up to get emergency alerts on your phone, by count.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Sign up for Alert LA County, which uses telephone companies' 911 database to contact land-lines telephone numbers, whether listed or unlisted, to notify residents and businesses about evacuation orders. The Alert LA County system uses geomapping to send alerts to specific neighborhoods.

NotifyLA is the City of Los Angeles' official mass notification system used to send voice messages, text messages and email messages to residents and businesses when an imminent threat to life or property exists your area. Sign up for alerts from the city of Los Angeles here.

Text any zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies.

The LA County Fire Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department post regular updates on their official Twitter accounts.

VENTURA COUNTY

Sign up here to receive notifications from the VC Alert Emergency Notification System.

The system's database currently includes all listed and unlisted landline telephone numbers that are serviced by AT&T and Verizon. If you would like to be contacted on your home phone, cell phone, work phone, TTY device, email, fax or via instant messaging - you must register that information using the "opt in" portal.

Ventura County Sheriff's Office and the Ventura County Fire Department also post regular updated on their official Twitter accounts.

Text your zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies.

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County residents are urged to register with AlertOC, to receive time-sensitive voice messages, text messages and emails from the county or your city.

AlertOC uses 911 databases from telephone companies, so most landlines will already be in the system. AlertOC is operated by the County of Orange in collaboration with local cities.

SANTA BARBARA

Register online at AwareandPrepare.com to receive emergency notifications and alerts via land-lines phones, text messages or email.

The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management also posts updates on its official Twitter account.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

In San Bernardino County, the Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) uses listed and unlisted numbers in the region’s 911 database to alert residents of life-threatening emergencies. San Bernardino County updates this database every six months.

However, the 911 database only includes land-line telephones, so other numbers must be registered. If a resident wishes to receive an emergency alert text message on their cell phone or an emergency call on their Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone they must register the number in the system here.

Residents who do not have internet access may register by dialing 211 or 1-888-435-7565 to sign up.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County uses a system called Alert RivCo to alert community members of urgent actions to take during disasters, such as earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. You can sign up here.

Alert RivCo uses 911 databases from telephone companies, so most land lines will already be in the system. To register cellular phones, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and email addresses, use the registration portal on Alert RivCo’s website.

Residents can also receive alerts by downloading the Swift911 Public App on their smartphones and registering within the App. Once registered, you can log into both the Public App and web portal at any time to update your contact information. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Corona, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Riverside and Temecula have their own alerting system for city residents. Residents in those cities are encouraged to sign up with their local system for emergency alerts.

A lost teddy bear caused the National Weather Service to launch an investigation of sorts to reunite a SoCal kid with his stuffed animal.

NWS Los Angeles tweeted at 12:49 p.m. and said a user has asked for help in "tracking down an important missing teddy bear."

The stuffed animal is a small black bear with a brown snout and paws.

The organization said the bear floated away in a cluster of balloons Sunday morning in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Due to the current winds, the flying stuffed animal could have landed anywhere in San Diego or in Orange County, NWS Los Angeles said.

NWS Los Angeles created the hashtag #FindHerbertBear to encourage users to spread the word and find the beloved bear.

Anyone with information regarding the missing bear is asked to contact NWS Los Angeles on Twitter. 

Santa is now accepting applications for assistance this holiday season.

OK, not really. But, the USPS kicked off their "Operation Santa" campaign Dec. 3 and you can help by "lending a helping hand to the hard workers of the North Pole" through Dec. 22.

There are currently two programs being offered in select locations – Legacy Operation Santa and Digital Operation Santa.

Currently the only Digital Operation Santa location in California is in San Diego.

Operation Santa, however, operates across the country. Postal employees respond to letters by providing a written response signed by Santa.

In select Post Offices, the public is invited to "adopt" Santa letters and fulfill the child's wishes as an individual or as a team. This must be done in person due to privacy reasons.

Three of the 2018 Operation Santa Locations are in Southern California: Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Santa Clarita.

After completing the forms, the volunteer selects a letter. To protect the privacy of the person who penned the letter, all last names, addresses and contact information will be redacted.

Next, the selection is handed over to the postal clerk so they can notate which letter(s) will be adopted.

Once the wish has been fulfilled, it's time to mail it. Note that the sender will be responsible for paying the postage fees.

Once paid, the postal clerks match the box with letter write by using an internal numbering system.

The return address will read "Operation Santa, North Pole." 

This year marks the 106th year of the USPS Operation Santa program.

If you know your amendments, through and through, and you've seen one of the numerous documentaries detailing the many layers of Prohibition in the United States, and you've read books about the time period, the period that lasted from early 1920 to late 1933, then you surely recall the main players and major events.

And you absolutely know that fifth day of December is when Prohibition came to an end.

The date isn't just the answer to a modern-day trivia question, however, nor a footnote in textbook: Taverns across the country, including many of those that draw their inspiration from an earlier era, very often mark Dec. 5 with a host of special events and drink deals.

So give your history-obsessed friend a jingle, the pal who promised to be your designated driver, and toodle out on Dec. 5 for...

Brack Shop Tavern, in DTLA, where an old-style punch will be priced at five bucks a glass, from 3 p.m. to midnight.

1933 Group, which draws its name from that fateful year, will again offer $1 Old Fashioneds and Moscow Mules at its family of bars, including Idle Hour and Sassafras (the drink offer depends upon the bar).

Eureka!, which has a number of locations, is marking the day with Temple Rye Old Fashioneds for $5.

Prank, also in DTLA, where Old-Fashioneds will be $7 on Dec. 5, from 2 p.m. to midnight.

Center Hub, at Trade in Irvine, is offering an Irvine Old Fashioned for eight bucks.

Seven Grand, in DTLA, will have cocktail specials throughout the evening, thanks to a team-up with Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

LA WINE, in Chinatown, is offering select bottles of wine priced at $19.33.

Birds & Bees, in DTLA, is offering The Martinez, a cocktail concocted with house-barrel aged gin, for eight dollars.

How and when do most people decide to go take in an exhibit at a local museum?

That's a question that truly runs the gamut, the very long gamut, and calling it as gamut-y as all get-out would not be inaccurate.

For while some museum fans hear from friends about a museum show, and plan weeks in advance to attend, others spontaneously choose to swing by the institution in the moment, taking a chance on what might be on display.

If you're in the group that loves to anticipate major events of a considerable cultural nature, then be chuffed, for a still-to-come destination, devoted to film, has announced its very first exhibits.

It's the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures we speak of, the one rising in the Saban Building, and behind it, at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue on the Miracle Mile.

And while the museum is still slated to debut in the later part of 2019, it gave cinephiles an early peek at what inaugural exhibits to expect.

A retrospective devoted to Hayao Miyazaki, "presented in collaboration with Studio Ghibli" is ahead, the "first major retrospective of his work presented in the United States." 

And in the fall of 2020, "Regeneration: Black Cinema 1900-1970" will debut, "... the first exhibition of its kind to explore the visual culture of Black cinema from its early days to just beyond the Civil Rights movement."

"Where Dreams Are Made: A Journey Inside the Movies," the working title for an exhibit that's described as "long-term," will fill a sizable two floors of the Saban Building with an array of artifacts devoted to "the development of the art and science of motion pictures."

"The Wizard of Oz" will be one classic work featured in this area. And though this exhibit's space isn't quite as large as Oz, it is impressive: 30,000 square feet.

Count on more retrospectives and in-depth dives into the history and future of moviedom. While there's no yellow brick road to follow, best stay tuned for more announcements from the Academy Museum, which will open in late 2019.

Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a sentencing memorandum in the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI regarding conversations about sanctions with the Russian ambassador.

The court filing provides the first details of Flynn's cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's team.

The deadline comes ahead of Flynn's Dec. 18 sentencing and more than a year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to Russian government officials on Trump's behalf.

Read the special counsel's memorandum in full below.

Homeowners affected by the Woolsey Fire are still literally picking up the pieces, and they face a long road ahead.

No one understands their journey better than victims of the Thomas Fire. It's been one year since fire destroyed more than 500 homes in Ventura.

"If you've got your health, you've got your family, that's the main thing!" said Ed Fuller, a Thomas fire victim.

Ed and Sandy Fuller's home was decimated in the Thomas Fire last December.

In a few weeks they will host family for Christmas, but their one-year from ashes to newly re-built home is one of a few exceptions, and they know it.

"For most people it's just out of their experience and they just need to grasp that," he said.

It's not just citizens but cities that need to wrap their heads around addressing the rebuild from a wildfire disaster.

"We have about 125 people that are under construction to rebuild their homes," said Jeff Lambert, Ventura's planning director. "We have another 140 are in what's CALLED 'plan check,' so they are close to starting construction.

Lambert's numbers represent about half of the 524 homes destroyed in Ventura by the Thomas Fire.

Ventura's rebuild is now a blueprint for cities affected by the Woolsey Fire.

"We've been reaching out to Thousand Oaks and Malibu and Agoura Hills," Lambert said.

Lambert said he advises cities to do four things:

• Communicate with homeowners about services.
• Make sure the rules for rebuilding are clear and don't change.
• Partner with design professionals to teach homeowners how to hire architects and contractors.
• And bolster your city staff.

"We added a million dollars in contract service staff to make sure that we could get people in the process and out in a timely manner," Lambert said.

Lambert says for homeowners, the biggest challenge is understanding their insurance policy, meaning: will your policy cover the cost of reconstruction, including things like materials, labor and code changes?

"Don't be quick to take that check and walk away. Make sure you know what it's going to cost to rebuild your house before you settle with your insurance company," Lambert said.

The state will conduct a hazardous materials inspection of your property for free and help with debris removal but the rest of the costs are on you.

"Rebuilding for everybody is not the right decision," Fuller said.

The Fullers were lucky. They had just renovated their home so they had fresh blueprints. Their advice: hire an architect first.

"They really know all the upgrades, they know all the new codes, they know what's going to be required in order to even get your plans established," Sandy said.

Once you have your plans, hire a general contractor and communicate with them from permits to purchasing materials.

"You have to stay engaged and you have to in your mind kind of know what you what because you're going to be asked a lot of times every day," she said.

The Fullers say you can't have enough patience. But in the end you get a better upgraded home.

For them, it's just in time for Christmas.

"It's just very exciting. I'm even making Christmas stockings cause they burnt up too," Sandy said.

Sandy said she has found one permanent thing to do every day in order to keep going emotionally through the rebuilding journey. She said to find something you can finish and not have to worry about again.

Lambert says about half a dozen families are back in their new homes right now and he expects nearly half of the homes lost will be rebuilt by the end of 2019.

A Florida man crashed Cape Coral's Festival of Lights celebration, screaming "There is no Santa Claus!" at children waiting in line to see Saint Nick.

A man is dead after a hit-and-run crash on a violent Orange County freeway Tuesday night, but a bystander proved to be key in finding the suspected runaway driver, according to police.

The suspected driver in the fatal hit-and-run crash in Costa Mesa took off after the collision, but it didn't take long for police to track him down and arrest him, thanks to the quick thinking of an alert bystander in a perfect example of the ubiquitous saying, "see something, say something."

A man was playing in the park with his daughter when he noticed the driver of a Honda Accord park his car across the street and start acting strangely and looking at the extensive damage to his car.

The father decided to call the police.

California Highway Patrol officers say that the alert citizen noticed the banged up vehicle at an intersection located less than half a block from the Costa Mesa Police Department, so it didn't take long for officers to respond and arrest the driver.

The father that called in the tip had no idea that a fatal hit-and-run crash had occurred less than a mile away, near the Del Mar exit on the 55 Freeway.

Police said the crash is under investigation.

California lawmakers announced a proposal on Tuesday to make community colleges completely free.

It was just last year that California lawmakers passed the law that allowed the first year of study at community colleges to be free for new and full-time students. Now they seek to do the same with the second year.

The AB2 proposal was introduced by legislators in Sacramento this morning.

“We started two years of free community college because we know that’s the promise we want to give to our students,” said Democratic lawmaker Miguel Santiago, co-author of the proposal.

According to legislators, AB2 will benefit any full-time student, from any college across the state, but it will especially help those going through economic hardships.

The measure is supported by the president of community colleges and many officials.

The proposal will be analyzed and discussed in March 2019.

Lawyers hired by CBS to investigate the conduct of Leslie Moonves, the former CBS chief executive who left the company after he was accused of sexual misconduct, are preparing to tell the company that it has reason to deny the former executive $120 million in severance payments, according to a report from The New York Times. 

The Times said that it had acquired a draft report that found Moonves had destroyed evidence and lied to investigators, providing the company with cause to deny Moonves the payments that were part of his employment contract, NBC News reported. 

“Based on the facts developed to date, we believe that the board would have multiple bases upon which to conclude that the company was entitled to terminate Moonves for cause,” the report states, according to the Times.

In a statement provided to NBC News on Tuesday night, outside investigators hired by the board said, "No findings have been reported to the Board. The Board has reached no conclusions on this matter. The investigators and the Board are committed to a thorough and fair process. No draft of the investigators’ ongoing work product has been shared with the Board or the Company. Our work is still in progress and there are bound to be many facts and assessments that evolve and change as the work is completed."

Moonves' lawyer couldn’t immediately be reached by NBC News. A spokesman for CBS declined comment.