The White House's Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms
NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) -- The White House's Christmas tree is slated to be cut and transported from a North Carolina farm on Wednesday. Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm is located in Avery County, North Carolina. It was one of the hardest-hit counties from Hurricane Helene just a few months before. The farm experienced some road damage and lost between 5,000 to 6,000 smaller trees in a mudslide. But one of the owners, Sam Cartner Jr., says that other Christmas tree farmers had it much worse than his family's farm. He hopes the White House tree can be an inspiring symbol for western North Carolina.
Texans never trail while handing Cowboys 5th straight loss, 34-10
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score and the Houston Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-10. The Texans stopped just the second two-game losing streak in quarterback C.J. Stroud's two seasons while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South. In a season filled with things gone wrong for the Cowboys, debris fell from their stadium's retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game. Dallas lost its fifth consecutive game, and Cooper Rush dropped to 0-2 filling in for Dak Prescott after his season-ending hamstring tear.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Yankees pitcher Luis Gil win Rookie of the Year awards
Hard-throwing Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award while Luis Gil of the New York Yankees edged Baltimore's Colton Cowser to take the AL honor. It's the first time the rookie awards went to two pitchers since 2011, when Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel won. Skenes didn't make his big league debut until May 11 but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation that he was selected to start the All-Star Game for the NL on July 16.
Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, master of modern free verse, dies at 92
TOKYO (AP) -- Shuntaro Tanikawa, who pioneered modern Japanese poetry, poignant but conversational in its divergence from haiku and other traditions, has died. He was 92. His son Kensaku Tanikawa says his father died Nov. 13 at a Tokyo hospital. The cause of death given was old age. Tanikawa translated the "Peanuts" comic strip and penned the lyrics for the theme song of the animation series "Astro Boy." He stunned the literary world with his 1952 debut work "Two Billion Light Years of Solitude," a bold look at the cosmic in daily life, sensual, vivid but simple in its use of everyday language.
Riders stuck in midair for over 2 hours on Knott's Berry Farm ride
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Knott's Berry Farm spokesperson says more than 20 riders were suspended in midair for hours after a Southern California theme park ride malfunctioned. The spokesperson says 22 riders at the Southern California theme park were stuck on the Sol Spin ride. Technical difficulties caused it to stop at about 2:00 p.m. Monday. The riders were evacuated from the ride by 4:30 p.m., according to the ride manufacturer's and park's emergency procedures. The park spokesperson says two guests were taken to the hospital for evaluation "out of an abundance of caution." The Sol Spin brings riders up over six stories high.
Police investigate burglary at Windsor Castle estate, fueling concerns about royal security
LONDON (AP) -- British police are investigating a burglary on the Windsor Castle estate, fueling concerns about security at the royal residence west of London. The suspects stole a pickup truck and a quad bike from a farm building on the estate just before midnight on Oct. 13, Thames Valley Police said in a statement. The property is near a major road that is more than a mile from Windsor Castle.
NYC priest who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to shoot a music video in church further stripped of duties
NEW YORK (AP) -- The leader of a New York City church where pop star Sabrina Carpenter filmed scenes for a music video has been stripped of his duties. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn announced that Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello has been relieved of "any pastoral oversight or governance role" at his church located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Bishop Robert Brennan said an outside investigation uncovered evidence of serious violations of diocese investment policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church. Gigantiello didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment Monday but has previously defended his financial stewardship of the church.
Debris falls from roof at home of Cowboys before game against Texans; no injuries reported
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Officials say a piece of the roof at the home of the Dallas Cowboys fell to the field while the retractable portion of it was being opened at least three hours before a game against Houston on Monday night. AT&T Stadium was mostly empty when the incident occurred, and team officials said nobody was injured. The roof was closed without incident about an hour later. Officials say winds gusting to 30 mph during the day contributed to the incident. The roof hasn't been opened for a Cowboys game since the 2022 season.
Beyoncé will perform at halftime of Ravens-Texans Christmas Day game on Netflix
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas -- provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced late Sunday that the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn't reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her "Cowboy Carter" album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month. Netflix is also streaming a Christmas day Kansas City Chiefs game, setting up the possibility that another of the world's biggest stars, Taylor Swift, would be on the stream. Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
'Kissing the ring?' MSNBC 'Morning Joe' hosts meet with Trump to reopen lines of communication
It was the last thing you might expect if you watched MSNBC's "Morning Joe" a month ago -- hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski asking for a meeting and traveling to Mar-a-Lago to talk with President-elect Donald Trump. The show's hosts were fierce critics of Trump the past few years, and throughout his campaign to win back the presidency. But they said Monday they wanted to reopen lines of communication in the hope of providing viewers with insights about what is going on in the administration. The show's hosts received some criticism, which they had anticipated, with some likening it to "kissing the ring."