Three people were killed when an NBC news helicopter crashed between two buildings near the site of a fatal bus collision in Los Angeles.

The aircraft went down shortly before 7pm Tuesday in a parking lot between two warehouses near the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth. The crash occurred close to where an SUV had struck a bus earlier that evening.

The earlier bus crash left two people dead and six others injured.

The helicopter appeared to have come to rest atop two shipping containers and several vehicles parked in the area.

The crash sparked a large fire that threatened four nearby vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

After crews extinguished the flames, firefighters were seen putting up a canopy over at least one body.

Authorities said the three victims included the helicopter’s two occupants and a pedestrian on the ground. Another person was taken to a local hospital in an unknown condition.

The Fire Department said four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by the blaze.

Following the crash, a longtime NBC 4 Los Angeles anchor confirmed that the chopper was a ‘television news helicopter,’ noting: ‘We are not in contact with our television news helicopter.’

‘We have lost contact with our people,’ Colleen Williams said through tears. 

She later confirmed that the news helicopter was from NBC Los Angeles, before the news station took a break to process the information.  

LA Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman had earlier told reporters on the scene that the helicopter is ‘pretty well destroyed.’

The crash came as local media outlets rushed to get aerial footage of the fatal bus crash, showing people running away from the scene as police cruisers sped toward the fiery explosion.

It appeared the bus was crossing the intersection at around 5pm when the SUV T-boned it, sending both vehicles onto the curb, ABC 7 reports. 

Authorities are now looking into the possibility that one of the vehicles ran a red light.

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Three people were killed at the scene, while others were rushed to local hospitals. The extent of the victims’ injuries remains unclear.

One of those killed was reportedly ejected from the bus, while the others were said to have been onboard the city bus. 

An LA Urban Search and Rescue Team was also seen extricating multiple people from the bus, with at least one person found stuck underneath the vehicle, KTLA reports.  

She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in unknown condition with what crews on the scene described as ‘crushing’ injuries.’ 

Soon after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of the Ford SUV embedded in the side of the Metro bus.

When the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the bus’s side, according to the Los Angeles Times.

At the height of the response, there were 56 Fire Department personnel on scene, spokesperson Jennifer Middleton told the LA Times.

The intersection where the two fatal crashes occurred will now be closed for ‘quite some time,’ she noted. 

In a brief statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is ‘absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight.

‘My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash,’ she posted on social media. ‘My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.

‘I’m grateful to the city teams who responded so quickly,’ she added, as she urged the public to ‘please stay clear of the are as public safety officials remain on scene.’ 

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

LeBron James is still making the most of “Taco Tuesday.”

Seven years after his bid to trademark the popular phrase was rejected, James shared a video showing himself enthusiastically working through at least three plates of tacos.

The clip opened with James appearing subdued as he told viewers, “Hey, y’all I’m just chilling here, relaxing. And you know, I’m not really having a good day,” before quickly flipping the mood with a loud, “Sike!”

“You know what today is. It’s Taco Tuesday,” James said.

He then celebrated with a scream that rang out through Mike’s Red Tacos, a San Diego taco restaurant preparing to open a new Pasadena location.

James’ trademark application was denied because “Taco Tuesday” was deemed too common a phrase to be owned by one party.

According to ESPN, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that the requested mark was “a commonplace term, message, or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment message.”

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The USPTO also told James’ trademark company that “Taco Tuesday” is “a widely used message” employed by different parties to promote tacos and celebrate the food on a designated day of the week.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that James sought the trademark largely to protect himself from potential legal action over his use of the phrase.

James has long made Taco Tuesday a recurring feature on social media, previously posting videos of himself and his family enjoying tacos together.

“I love tacos, and I especially love how they bring people together to create traditions and share great moments around the table with family and friends,” James said in a statement released by Fox 5 in San Diego. “In addition to having an incredible taco, Mike’s Red Tacos bring those same values to life in a fresh, new way for consumers.”

While James has been enjoying his time on a fun trip down memory lane, it comes before new beginnings, as he is just two weeks away from joining his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, for NBA training camp, after he signed with them this past July on a two-year, $8 million deal that includes a player option.

James spent the last eight years of his career with the Lakers, where he averaged 25.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.7 rebounds during his Los Angeles tenure.

During the 2019-2020 NBA season, James led the Lakers to their 17th title in franchise history, where he was crowned Finals MVP after averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists.

A San Jose climber seriously hurt in a 500-foot fall on Northern California’s Mount Shasta survived a harrowing overnight trek, crawling to a secluded cabin before search crews located him the next day, forest officials said Friday.

The unidentified man had reached the summit Thursday night in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest when he began descending Avalanche Gulch, a notoriously steep route covered in snow and ice. Officials said he lost control while attempting to slide down the mountain.

“The climber told rescuers that he had attempted to glissade down the mountain, lost control, and slid approximately 500 feet. During his fall, he sustained several significant lacerations and injuries to his feet,” Forest Service officials said.

His cellphone ran out of power soon after he reached the summit, leaving him unable to call for help, authorities said.

With painful swelling setting in after the fall, the injured Mount Shasta climber took off his boots and, according to officials, “crawled through the night” along the rest of Avalanche Gulch until he reached Horse Camp Cabin.

When friends could not reach him the following day, they reported him missing to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

By 2 p.m. Friday, multiple agencies had deployed rescue personnel and air support to search the Avalanche Gulch area, officials said.

About two hours into the search, crews learned that a hiker had entered Horse Camp Cabin and discovered the climber inside.

Officials used the incident to remind hikers to allow plenty of daylight for their hikes, establish a turnaround time around noon, carry backup electronics and be prepared to self-rescue.

“The climber did his best to self-rescue despite significant injuries, and knew his route well enough without a map, to find his way back to the Horse Camp Cabin. Never rely solely on a GPS or phone to navigate – if those devices stop working, your own navigation skills will be critical in ensuring a safe return home,” officials said.

They further commended the climber for notifying his friends of his whereabouts before he went missing.

“The climber wisely notified his friends of his plan to climb Mount Shasta and made a point to check in and provide progress updates. When he lost contact, his friends contacted law enforcement to report him overdue and traveled to help with the search effort. It is always advisable to notify at least one person of your itinerary,” officials said.

The rescue team was assisted by the Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew.

The incident marks the latest rescue operation in the Northern California forest, where rescue teams respond to numerous incidents annually. 

According to the mountain’s website, the route to the summit via Avalanche Gulch is steep and rigorous, requiring proper equipment and snow-travel skills.

Last September, three novice hikers were stranded overnight in a steep canyon after heavily relying on AI for information about the routes.

In late June, another 31-year-old novice climber was flown to a hospital after slipping and falling 1,500 feet.

Meghan Markle’s mobile phone number is reportedly being circulated among parents at the school Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet had only recently begun attending.

Screenshots allegedly taken from a WhatsApp group joined by the Duchess of Sussex are also said to have been shared online.

Prince Harry and Meghan declined to comment on the claims. However, sources close to the couple said they were disappointed that other parents would attempt to distribute personal information.

Meghan is believed to have entered the WhatsApp chat, called ‘Year 3’, on the evening before Archie and Lilibet were due to start at the school.

One purported image of the group chat appeared to show the duchess greeting fellow parents with the message: ‘Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome [heart emoji]. So happy to be a part of this community xx’

The reports surfaced after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly made the reluctant decision to move their children from the school after just days, amid concerns about security and traffic during the journey.

The family’s security team had reportedly warned that the demanding daily commute was putting their protection operation “under strain”.

At peak travel times, a trip expected to take roughly 35 minutes could reportedly stretch to an hour. During one journey, a convoy carrying Archie and Lilibet was said to have been split up, leaving the children vulnerable while stationary in traffic.

Friends of the couple stressed that the decision to withdraw the children was not an issue with the school itself. 

Archie and Lilibet will now join another school where they have already attended taster sessions. The Sussexes’ security, meanwhile, are said to be much happier that the new school will be a shorter commute from the family home.  

But the fiasco has sparked questions over why the family’s drivers only tested the route during the summer holidays, amid claims that their return to the UK was ‘rushed’. 

Their private protection team were seemingly unable to properly assess the hour-long journey to the unnamed school after the Sussexes announced the move in late August. 

Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu said: ‘It does beggar belief why they haven’t thought this through. I don’t think he [Harry] has helped himself or the situation by not arranging things in good time.’

Former head of royal protection Dai Davies also told LBC radio: ‘If you keep a low profile, most people outside the school wouldn’t know where you are, what they’re doing, and all the rest of it.

‘Do they really need to go in convoy with two little children on the school run? If they only just kept a little quieter, kept a lower profile, they’d be a lot safer in my view.’

A Labour MP suggested that he believes the Sussexes have been left exposed.

Mike Tapp, who represents Dover and Deal in Kent, said: ‘Nearly three weeks after their arrival, the King’s son, Meghan, and their children remain without protection.

‘Whatever the eventual outcome, there are serious questions about how this process has been handled. In the cold light of day, there should be a proper review to ensure decisions of this importance are made swiftly, independently and on the basis of risk.’

One mother with two children at the school said Harry and Meghan’s decision to send their children there had been a coup and had excited many parents. But she added: ‘Parents at the school are completely baffled. You don’t need to be an expert to know how congested that area is. It’s one of the worst places to drive in the UK.’

Another mother said of the slow school run: ‘This was obviously going to happen.’ 

The dramatic schools development came as it emerged that Harry’s demand for taxpayer-funded police protection is being ‘reviewed’ now he is back in Britain.

The duke and duchess are said to have been informed that ‘a decision’ was made at a meeting last week to examine the threat to both of them.

The prince has been at loggerheads with the Home Office for years over its decision to remove his automatic right to security. Harry has long argued that he was born a prince and needs police protection when in the UK.

But he lost a series of legal battles against the Home Office which deemed he had forfeited the right to be able to call at will on taxpayer-funded protection after he quit as a frontline royal in 2020 and moved to a new life in California.

Only last year, after yet another defeat at the Royal Courts of Justice – against his father His Majesty’s government – the prince declared in a petulant BBC interview that he could not imagine a time when he could safely bring his family to his country of birth.

But now that he has had a sudden change of heart, bringing Meghan, Archie and Lilibet to live in the UK, his access to police protection is being reviewed, it was reported on Monday evening.

The decision is said to involve reviewing the risks to Prince Harry and also to his wife.

ITV News said the Home Office committee that decides on security provision for high-profile royals and politicians – known as Ravec – has written to Harry informing him a ‘full review’ will take place.

If true, then this decision defies complaints made by Team Sussex about the meeting held last week by Ravec, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. 

Some in Harry’s camp had accused Buckingham Palace of trying to scupper the Ravec meeting with King Charles’s bombshell letter last week which made clear Buckingham Palace’s view that the Sussexes were ‘private citizens’ not working royals.

Harry and Meghan were taken by surprise by the letter and would prefer to be known as ‘public figures’, it was made clear by sources close to them.

They believed the timing of the letter may have been an attempt to influence the Ravec committee on whether to reinstate Harry’s taxpayer-funded security.

At the time, the Daily Mail reported that such claims were incorrect, and the letter was sent out by the palace to offer clarity ahead of a busy programme for the Sussexes, not to interfere with his battles with the Home Office committee. In fact, those close to the King believed the move could make it easier for him to see his son privately.

On Monday, Harry’s fears that the letter could have been designed to block his bid for security appeared unfounded with the news that Ravec is going to fully review his need for protection for him and his family.

ITV News’s royal correspondent Chris Ship said: ‘It was decided that Harry should get a full review of his security now that he is resident in his home country and his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have started classes at a British school.’

It was said the official review carried out by Ravec, called a Risk Management Board, would be conducted for both Harry and Meghan. It would be the first review of the potential risks and threats facing Meghan since the couple left the Monarchy in 2020.

In fact, Harry had a new ‘RMB’ completed in July, eight weeks ago, but this was conducted before those assessing his case knew about his plans to relocate his family to the UK.

Currently, said ITV News, the only protection the Sussexes have been given by British police is the phone number of a police liaison officer. The duke has been told to call the phone number should he need police help, but he believes this is essentially zero protection as it would take officers a long time to reach him, were he or his family to be in distress or under attack.

Harry argues he is the son of the British monarch, the fifth in line to the throne and a veteran of the British Army who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He was criticised by some British officers for his decision to boast in his 2023 memoir Spare about how many people he had killed during his battles against the Taliban. Some suggested this had massively increased his need for protection against those who might seek revenge.

Scotland Yard does not discuss the security arrangements of royals but it is understood that protection is arranged on a case-by-case basis and is constantly under review. During some recent UK events attended by Harry, such as charity evenings, he has clearly been afforded police security.

Harry and Meghan also pay millions for private security. But in America, their bodyguards may be able to shoot people deemed a threat. In Britain, their close protection agents are not allowed to carry guns, explaining why the duke is desperate to reinstate his automatic police protection.

The Home Office said: ‘The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.’

MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees’ visiting clubhouse at Target Field still carried the scent of stale champagne Tuesday, and the carpet remained damp from an early-morning cleaning after their playoff-clinching celebration.

But there was little evidence of any lingering celebration as the Yankees returned to work, beginning what their manager described as an “uphill battle” to catch the Rays for the division crown.

Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones homered, while Max Fried delivered his strongest outing since returning from the injured list, powering the Yankees to an easy 8-1 victory over the Twins.

The only disappointment for the Yankees (88-63) came elsewhere, as the Rays continued to win behind another walk-off home run from Junior Caminero.

With 11 games remaining, New York stayed 3½ games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East. The Yankees’ path to the division title is becoming narrower by the day, though a pivotal four-game series against the Rays awaits next week.

For the moment, the Yankees focused on what they could control: continuing their dominance of the Twins (70-81), a familiar opponent they have routinely handled.

Bellinger gave Fried an immediate cushion before the left-hander ever stepped onto the mound, launching a two-run homer in the first inning to put New York ahead 2-0.

Fried made that lead stand, completing seven innings for the first time since April 22 and earning his first victory since April 27. He allowed one run on six hits, issued no walks and struck out six over 88 pitches.

In his fourth start since returning from a second IL stint caused by a left elbow bone bruise, Fried remained on a pitch count but looked considerably sharper than he did in his previous outing, when he failed to get through four innings against the Rockies.

The Yankees provided more than enough offense, collecting 14 hits against right-hander Bailey Ober and the Twins bullpen.

Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit, with Bellinger reaching base four times and Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe each reaching three times.

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Jones delivered the crushing blow to break the Twins’ backs in the sixth inning, clobbering a three-run shot off lefty Taylor Rogers to put the Yankees ahead 7-1.

Before Jones swatted a sweeper 423 feet off him, Rogers had not allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter all season (in 133 plate appearances).

Jones, meanwhile, went deep against a lefty for the third time (of his 10 big league home runs), continuing to show he is worthy of starts against southpaws with plenty of them looming with the Red Sox in a likely AL wild-card series.

Earlier in the inning, Ramos had reached base for the third time by drilling an RBI double to the left field corner for the 4-1 lead.

Ramos, wearing No. 21 for the night to honor his fellow Puerto Rican on Roberto Clemente Day, went 2-for-4 with a walk while starting for Aaron Judge, who got the day off.

Ben Rice led off the game with another quality at-bat, roping the eighth pitch of his battle against Ober into right field for a single.

Bellinger then clubbed a 2-0 fastball down the middle over the high wall in right-center field for his 16th home run of the season and the 2-0 lead.

The Twins got a run back in the bottom of the second inning after Lombard was slow getting off a throw on a ground ball to shortstop by Royce Lewis, allowing him to reach for an infield single.

Lewis later stole second and scored on Emmanuel Rodriguez’s hard single up the middle with two outs, though Fried quickly erased Rodriguez with a pickoff to end the frame.

But Lombard made up for it in the next half-inning, shooting a single through the right side to score Ramos for the 3-1 lead.