The White House’s Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms

The official White House Christmas tree, a 20-foot Fraser fir, at the Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, N.C. Photo by Erik Verduzco

NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The Cartner family had known since last year that one of their farm’s Christmas trees would be headed to the White House this winter.

But then Hurricane Helene struck, unleashing a deadly deluge across western North Carolina, including Avery County, where Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm has stood for decades. Though the farm lost thousands of trees to a mudslide, many more survived, including a 20-foot conical tree that dwarfs most of the others on the sprawling farm.

That one will soon be cut down, lifted by a crane and put on a truck bound for the nation’s capital.

“We wanted to really be an uplifting symbol for the other farmers and other people in western North Carolina that have experienced so many losses,” said Sam Cartner Jr., one of three brothers who owns the farm.

From the back of the farm property, where the White House tree is located, it’s hard to see the extent of Helene’s damage. Countless rows of dark green trees stand in formation, contrasting against the lighter, mossy green shade of the rolling hills. It’s mostly quiet, aside from chirping birds and rustling leaves.

Someone accessed files said to contain damaging info about Trump AG-nominee Gaetz, lawyer says

WASHINGTON (AP) — An unauthorized person gained access to a file containing confidential testimony from women who have made allegations about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s pick to become the next attorney general, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that an unauthorized person accessed a file shared between lawyers that included unredacted depositions from a woman who has said Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17, and a second woman who says she saw the encounter, according to attorney Joel Leppard.

Gaetz has denied all the allegations, and the Justice Department ended its sex trafficking investigation without any criminal charges against him. A lawyer who has represented Gaetz said he would not answer any questions when reached Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The apparent breach comes as Gaetz is facing intense scrutiny over the allegations threatening to complicate his path to be confirmed as the nation’s top federal law enforcement officer. Several Republicans in the Senate have expressed concern about his nomination or refused to say publicly yet whether they will support him.

Jake Paul-Mike Tyson was highest-grossing combat event in Texas at $18.1M, organizers say

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jake Paul’s unanimous decision over Mike Tyson was the highest-grossing combat sports event in Texas at $18.1 million, the promotions company co-founded by Paul said Tuesday.

The eight-round fight at the home of the Dallas Cowboys drew about 72,000 fans and was part of a co-main event that featured Katie Taylor’s latest disputed decision in a super lightweight championship slugfest against Amanda Serrano.

The event surpassed Texas’ previous sports combat high of $9 million set by Canelo Alvarez when he faced Billy Joe Saunders at 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in 2021, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

There were 73,000-plus fans at the Alvarez-Saunders fight, which at the time was the biggest crowd for a U.S. sporting event since the start of the pandemic a year earlier.

Paul beat Tyson, the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion, in a lopsided decision, winning all but one round on the three judges’ scorecards combined. It was the 11th victory in 12 fights for the YouTuber-turned-boxer, who has seven knockouts in 4 1/2 years since turning pro.