The National Christmas Tree Association is hosting a contest in Michigan where tree farmers from across the U.S. compete for a chance to have their selected tree be on display at the White House.

Lake City

Christmas tree growers in Michigan are contending with the challenges posed by weather extremes, which can significantly affect the growth and survival of young trees. It typically takes six to ten years for a seedling to reach the preferred height for Christmas trees, and the youngest trees are most vulnerable to adverse weather conditions. As trees mature and develop deeper root systems, they become more resilient, but weather can still slow their growth.

In North Carolina, growers have been recovering from infrastructure damage caused by Hurricane Helene. While some trees were lost, the primary impact was on roads and bridges, making it difficult to harvest and transport trees. According to industry representatives, most infrastructure recovery has been completed, and growers anticipate no major issues in getting their trees to market.

Christmas in July: Tree growers compete in Michigan

Well, how does Weather Extremes play into Christmas tree growing, especially when you talk about the different ages in their life as we try to get to that mature tree? Yeah, so on average, after you put a seedling in the ground, you're looking at six to eight years, sometimes as much as nine or 10, to get a tree up to the six, seven, eight foot. That's the common height most people want their Christmas tree. It can take a number of years to get it that tall. And so the trees that are most susceptible to weather extremes, whether it's dry weather or really wet weather, of course, the small trees, the seedlings, when they're first put in the ground, by the time they get to about four or five years old and they get up to four or five feet tall, the root systems become really well-established. They have a deep taproot. They're less susceptible to seasonal weather patterns, but they can still be damaged. The growth can be slowed down. So as growers, you're always trying to think seven, eight, nine years ahead. If you have high mortality, if you have a lot of seedlings that are killed by extreme weather, then you have to plant more in the next year and try to make up that inventory and your crop grown in your fields. Stressful job for sure. All right, we know that there are so many states across the country that grow Christmas trees. We want to focus on the weather recovery in North Carolina, especially after Hurricane Helene here. Can you speak at all about any improvements for growers in that key region? Yeah, so most of the damage that Helene did was really to infrastructure. So it just made the operations much more difficult. Most of what I heard from the growers, they did have some loss of trees, but it wasn't as bad. A lot of those trees are grown on very steep hillsides. So it was really the infrastructure. It was the roads. If your farm road gets taken out, if a bridge gets taken out, it was really difficult for them to get trees harvested and off the market. From what I've been hearing, most of that recovery has been able to happen so far this year. And I think everybody I'm talking to from North Carolina thinks they're going to have no issues getting their trees harvested and to market this year. Amazing. Rick Dungy, Executive Director of the National Christmas Tree Association. Thank you for joining us.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she will meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday in Scotland to "discuss transatlantic trade relations."

Glasgow

Global Tariffs

Ursula von der Leyen to meet Donald Trump to discuss trade

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at dramatically changing how the U.S. approaches homelessness.

Washington

Trump signs executive order changing U.S. approach to homelessness

Former NFL Wide Receiver Donté Stallworth tells CNN’s Jake Tapper that the reselling of Super Bowl tickets by players and employees has long been an “open secret.” Stallworth believes that imposing fines and threatening player suspensions will significantly curb the practice of selling tickets for profit.

New York

NFL issues fines for selling Super Bowl tickets above face value

Typhoon Co-May has left a trail of destruction across the Philippines, making landfall in the country's northwestern region. Torrential rains and strong winds have battered towns and cities, damaging homes, roads, and farmland. At least 25 people have been reported dead.

Pangasinan

Philippines hit hard by Typhoon Co-May, dozens killed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Palestinian militant group Hamas, a day after withdrawing their delegations from talks.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations

U.S. President Donald Trump is spending five days in Scotland visiting his luxury golf resorts. While the White House touts the economic impact, some locals say the developments have scarred the land and stirred controversy.

Edinburgh

Trump visits Scotland to tour golf courses amid protests

The U.S. Department of Justice is set to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's convicted accomplice, amid mounting political pressure on President Donald Trump over his administration's handling of the Epstein case.

Ghislaine Maxwell to meet with U.S. Justice Dept. amid Epstein probe

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday (July 25) as their worst fighting in over a decade intensified and spread to new areas, despite international calls for a ceasefire.

Bangkok

Thailand, Cambodia exchange heavy artillery

France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said in hopes of bringing peace to the region, but the plan drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States.

Macron says France will recognize Palestine as a state

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved a draft bill to restore the independence of anti-corruption agencies, following nationwide protests and EU concerns over recent reforms that threatened their autonomy.

Ukraine Invasion

Zelensky approves anti-corruption bill after protests

Chinese and European Union leaders have met in Beijing for their first in-person summit since 2023, addressing a range of contentious issues amidst growing trade tensions. The talks, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping and EU officials Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, highlighted the complex nature of China-EU relations.

Beijing

China-EU summit ends in climate deal, talks strain over Ukraine

The United Kingdom and India have signed a trade agreement that will reduce tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky, cars and spices and allow more market access for businesses. British PM Keir Starmer hailed the agreement as a “landmark moment” for both countries.

London

UK, India sign free trade agreement during Modi visit

President Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had a disagreement almost immediately as the two men set foot in the Fed's headquarters in Washington to survey an extensive renovation project on two of the reserve's buildings. Nancy Cordes has more.

Trump, Powell clash during tour of Federal Reserve renovations

Hulk Hogan, the legendary professional wrestler whose real name was Terry Bollea, died on Thursday at the age of 71, according to World Wrestling Entertainment.

Clearwater

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dead at the age of 71, WWE says

At least 12 were killed as a Thai-Cambodian border dispute escalated into deadly clashes on Thursday (July 24).

Surin

Thailand bombs Cambodian targets as border clash escalates

According to preliminary data, 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were on board.

Tynda

Passenger plane crashes in Russia, killing all 49 people on board

Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has died, World Wrestling Entertainment said in a statement on social media. He was 71. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has more.

Hulk Hogan dies at 71, WWE says

The Wall Street Journal reports that former Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Trump his name appeared in the Epstein files. The White House denies wrongdoing.

Report: Trump was briefed on mentions in Epstein files

Columbia University will pay $200 million to resolve federal claims it failed to stop harassment of Jewish students during campus protests. The Trump administration had suspended the school's access to $400 million in funding.

Columbia settles for $200 million over antisemitism claims

Israel issued a statement indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Gaza negotiating team to return to Israel for ceasefire talks. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio reports.

Israel brings back Gaza negotiating team for ceasefire 'consultations'

Also in the settlement is an agreement to ask prospective international students “questions designed to elicit their reasons for wishing to study in the United States,” and establishes processes to make sure all students are committed to “civil discourse.”

Columbia University to pay more than $220M in deal with Trump

There are several developments in the cases involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant in ICE custody whom the Trump administration wrongly deported. CBS News' Katrina Kaufman reports.

Nashville

Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain detained following new court orders

Dr. Salvador Plasencia admitted to distributing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his 2023 overdose. He is the fourth person to plead guilty in the case and faces up to 40 years in prison.

Los Angeles

Doctor pleads guilty in Matthew Perry death case

While both sides acknowledged progress on humanitarian issues, talks on a full ceasefire remain stalled. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for "result-oriented negotiations" to end the devastating war.

Istanbul

Russia and Ukraine conclude third round of peace talks in Istanbul

A passenger plane has crashed in southeastern Russia with up to 49 people onboard. Emergency services say the An-24 aircraft took off from the city of Khabarovsk and was heading to the town of Tynda. Wreckage was found on a mountainside around 15 kilometres from the flight's intended destination.

Russian passenger plane with 49 on board crashes

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed to retain the independence of anti-corruption agencies, bowing to pressure from the first wartime street protests and rare rebukes from European allies.

Kyiv

Zelenskiy to protect anti-corruption agencies, bows to protests

U.S. President Donald Trump's name is among the many appearing in the Epstein files, according to the Wall Street Journal, and he was told as much earlier this year by the U.S. Justice Department.

Trump calls reports he knew his name is in Epstein files ‘fake news’

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, the doctor accused of supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine in the month leading up to his death, has pleaded guilty to four counts  of distribution of ketamine. Plasencia is the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry's death to plead guilty.

California

Doctor accused of supplying ketamine to Matthew Perry pleads guilty

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners following the latest round of talks in Istanbul. The swap, involving dozens of soldiers — some severely wounded and held since the war’s start in 2022 — took place on Wednesday night. While the prisoner exchange marks a rare point of agreement, both delegations remain divided on ceasefire terms.

Ukraine-Russia talks: Delegations remain divided on ceasefire terms

After reviewing the Epstein files, Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Trump his name appears alongside many others, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal. CNN’s Paula Reid details what we know.

Breakdown