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The Los Angeles news helicopter that crashed while covering a deadly bus accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board ... and one member of the agency shared what may be a key piece of evidence -- though the investigation is still in its early stages.

NTSB Investigator-in-Charge Fabian Salazar addressed the media ... noting the NTSB is in the early stages of its investigation. At this time, NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are gathering factual information on the crash.

Salazar said the preliminary report on the crash will take at least 30 days to come out. The final report with the probable cause could take up to 18 months.

Video from the incident could make a huge difference, Salazar notes ... especially once video from inside the helicopter is analyzed -- because he says the NTSB's lab may be able to identify issues with the craft based on the noises of the engine and warning sounds from the tech in the helicopter.

The man who allegedly stormed the "TODAY" show set Thursday and hurled racist remarks at Craig Melvin seems to have been taped in the background of one of the show's segments just before the whole thing went down.

You can see who appears to be Andrew Truelove hanging outside the studio at Rockefeller Center as Savannah Guthrie and Craig report on a massive 14-foot-long great white shark that may be heading for Cape Cod.

The man who appears to be Truelove can be seen pacing back and forth in the background during the segment ... seemingly smoking. TMZ has not independently confirmed this is the perp, but it looks like this person has the same hairstyle, mustache, and clothing from when he was seen cuffed by cops hours later.

"TODAY" anchor Craig Melvin doesn't seem too rattled by Thursday's terrifying encounter with a studio intruder ... and while he says it's part of the "wacky" world we live in, he says he feels safe.

We got Craig as he was leaving 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Friday morning ... and he was cool as a cucumber as our photog asked about what happened when a man slipped past security and allegedly lunged at him and hurled a racial slur.

Craig tells us why the incident doesn't have him feeling unsafe ... chalking it up to "a lot of wacky out there."

Seems Craig's chilled out on this since Thursday's incident ... when he apparently told cops the intruder made him fear for his safety.

Craig Melvin and Al Roker are not taking any chances after Thursday's alarming incident at the "Today" show studio ... because they're getting court-ordered protection against alleged intruder Andrew Truelove ... TMZ has learned.

Truelove's attorney, Lawrence Gerzog, tells TMZ ... the judge issued a protective order requiring Truelove to stay away from Al and Craig.

TMZ broke the story ... Truelove was asking for Al after somehow slipping past security, and when he couldn't find Al, he turned his attention to Craig, confronting him in a restricted area and allegedly lunging at him while yelling the n-word.

Al Roker's hangin' in there after the terrifying intruder incident at the "TODAY" show ... and he's got a profound message about the wild ordeal.

Al shared a sweet montage of photos with cohost Craig Melvin on Instagram Friday, set to Avicii's "Hey Brother" ... that included his powerful words.

Al says ... "A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc We are both okay."

Gene Shalit, the legendary film critic who -- thanks to his walrus mustache and exuberant personality -- was identifiable as any movie star, has died.

The beloved Hollywood personality and NBC newsman died Friday, his family informed the network.

The exact cause of death was not released ... but family said Gene died peacefully.

Savannah Guthrie is still grappling with the disappearance of her mom, Nancy ... and she got emotional revealing the advice she believes her mom would be giving her right now.

The "Today" show co-host fought back tears during a conversation with Jenna Bush Hager, opening up about the difficult reality of carrying on with work while still wondering what happened to her mom.

Savannah admitted it hasn't been easy balancing her emotions with the demands of live TV, saying there are times she feels like she has to hold everything together in order to do her job.

Savannah Guthrie is speaking out again about the kidnapping of her mom, Nancy Guthrie, as police and FBI agents continue their desperate search for her after 4 grueling months.

The "Today" show co-host posted a snapshot of a painting of Jesus Christ's ascension on her Instagram stories, tying it to Nancy's February 1 abduction from her home in Tucson, Arizona.

Savannah wrote, "Oh my, my soul, it cries out, soul, it cries out, bring her home." That last part is a clear reference to Nancy, who is 84 and in poor health.

Mindy Kaling is finally addressing those longtime rumors she’s secretly dating B. J. Novak -- admitting that while she understands how it looks, they are not together!

The actress opened up about her super-close bond with her former "The Office" costar and ex-boyfriend, revealing BJ is basically family at this point ... especially with her three kids, who adore their godfather.

Addressing the internet’s obsession with whether BJ secretly fathered her children -- the 46-year-old says she totally understands why people think that ... and if she were looking at their relationship from the outside, she’d probably have the same questions too.

Nancy Guthrie is Khloé Kardashian's latest true crime obsession ... and doesn't understand how there are so few leads about her tragic disappearance.

On Wednesday's episode of her "Khloé In Wonder Land" podcast, the reality star sat down with true-crime podcaster Ashley Flowers to talk about Savannah Guthrie's missing mother.

Khloé said it's "mind-blowing" that police don't have any info about what happened, explaining that she was fascinated by the since-debunked theory that Nancy's son-in-law could have been involved in her abduction.

'Blacklist' actress Adele Heather Taylor and the estate of her late estranged husband, Roberto Orcí, are officially calling a truce in their explosive legal war ... because the NBC star has settled her sexual assault lawsuit against the late "Star Trek" screenwriter's estate.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ ... attorneys for Orcí's estate filed a notice of settlement Wednesday in court ... signaling the entire case has been resolved before it ever reached trial. The filing notes the settlement is conditional -- dismissal of the case is expected by the end of the year once certain terms are satisfied.

As we previously reported ... Adele countersued Orci for at least $17M after he accused her of domestic violence in a lawsuit filed before his death in February 2025. Adele claimed she was actually the victim throughout their relationship ... accusing Orcí of sexual assault, physical abuse, violent threats, and emotional torment.

Parts of Matthew Perry's legacy are set to be sold at auction -- with some seriously iconic "Friends" memorabilia up for grabs ... all for a good cause.

A stash of keepsakes from the late actor -- including artwork, personal items and show memorabilia -- is heading to the June 5 sale via Heritage Auctions ... with proceeds going to the Matthew Perry Foundation, which focuses on destigmatizing addiction and supporting recovery.

The headline grab? A collection of 26 "Friends" scripts from major episodes -- including "The One With Ross's Tan," "The One Where Joey Speaks French" ... and the two-part finale. Even bigger -- scripts from the pilot and Part One of the finale are signed by Perry and his famous costars.

Matt Lauer's rape accuser Brooke Nevils sat down for her first TV interview since releasing a memoir where she resurfaces her allegations ... and it got emotional.

Brooke tearfully recalled her interactions with the former NBC anchor in an interview with CNN's Pamela Brown.

She alleges Matt anally raped her in his hotel room while they were working at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Lisa Kudrow says life behind the cameras of the "Friends" set wasn't always as warm and fuzzy as it looked onscreen ... claiming the show's writers' room could be downright toxic -- and even included alleged sexual talk about her costars.

The actress -- who played Phoebe Buffay for all 10 seasons of the hit sitcom -- opened up in a new interview with The Times of London ... revealing the off-camera environment could get "mean" and "brutal."

"There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes," Kudrow said.

It looks like Jenna Wolfe and Stephanie Gosk will NOT be getting back together to try and save their marriage ... because Stephanie just filed for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The NBC News correspondent beelined it to court Wednesday and filed to divorce the former "Today" host after nearly 13 years of marriage ... according to online records.

Jenna and Stephanie had been separated since September 2021 ... but now it's Stephanie making the first move and pulling the trigger on a divorce filing.