What Happened in the December 12, 2025 News?

TL;DR

An atmospheric river dumped more than 10 inches of rain on parts of Washington, prompting a state of emergency, road closures, rescues, and evacuation requests for more than 100,000 people. Other reports cover a quicksand rescue in Utah, UNESCO recognition for Italian cuisine, TIME’s selection of artificial intelligence architects, and a teenager who rescued 87 cats in North Dakota.

Transcript

Hello and rise up. I'm Koi Wire. This is CNN 10. Happy Friday. I've got your 10 minutes of news, breaking down complicated stories with easy to understand explanations, representing all sides equally. No opinion, no slant, simply giving you the what, letting you decide what to think. We start with an atmospheric river that's drenching parts of Wash... Read More

Key Insights

• An atmospheric river is an elongated band of moisture that carries heavily saturated air away from the tropics. It provides important rainfall to the western United States, but relentless precipitation can also create destructive flooding, debris flows, and mudslides.
• Parts of Washington received more than 10 inches of rain within several days, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency. Flooding and debris closed dozens of roads, while mudslides disrupted traffic and trapped drivers on a major interstate.
• More than 100,000 people were asked to evacuate during the Washington flooding. Residents who could not leave in time required helicopter or boat rescues, and emergency officials reported that at least 26 rivers remained at risk of flooding in the coming days.
• Quicksand forms when sand mixes with clay and water, creating what the report calls a non-Newtonian fluid. Its viscosity, thickness, or resistance to flow changes according to the force applied, which can make a trapped leg feel surrounded by hardened concrete.
• Austin Dirks was rescued from quicksand at Utah’s Arches National Park after his right leg sank to the knee. He activated an emergency satellite beacon, rescue crews located him by drone, and they pulled him free several hours later.
• Italian cuisine became the first gastronomic style recognized by UNESCO, according to the report. An Italian chef said the designation honors the passion, love, intensity, and effort placed into food throughout Italy, where cuisine is closely connected to culture and identity.
• TIME selected the architects of artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year. Its cover included Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang in an image referencing the photograph of ironworkers sitting above New York City during Rockefeller Center’s construction.
• Khloe Campbell rescued 87 cats in seven weeks through Khloe’s Cat Project in Hettinger, North Dakota. The 13-year-old took in stray cats, helped restore their health, and worked to place them in warm, loving homes while pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is an atmospheric river and why can it cause flooding?

An atmospheric river is a plume or elongated band of moisture that transports heavily saturated air from the tropics north or south, away from the equator. These systems are an important source of rainfall in the western United States. However, when the rain continues relentlessly, it can produce catastrophic conditions, including overflowing rivers, flooded homes, road closures, debris, and mudslides.

Q: How severe was the flooding in Washington and Oregon?

Parts of Washington received more than 10 inches of rain within only a few days, and the governor officially declared a state of emergency. Flooding and debris closed dozens of roads across the state, while mudslides backed up traffic and trapped drivers. More than 100,000 people were asked to evacuate, and some residents needed rescue by helicopter or boat.

Q: Why were Washington rivers still considered dangerous?

Emergency officials said at least 26 rivers in Washington remained at risk of flooding in the coming days. Some rivers had already climbed more than 6 feet above previous records. The continuing danger followed days of relentless rain from an atmospheric river, which saturated communities, flooded homes, blocked roads with debris, and created conditions requiring evacuations and swift-water rescues.

Q: How does quicksand form and behave under pressure?

Quicksand forms when sand mixes with clay and water, producing what the report describes as a non-Newtonian fluid. That means its viscosity, or its thickness and resistance to flow, changes depending on the force applied. Hiker Austin Dirks said the material hardened around his trapped leg like concrete, leaving him unable to move it even a millimeter.

Q: How was the hiker rescued from quicksand at Arches National Park?

Austin Dirks became trapped while crossing a picturesque canyon at Utah’s Arches National Park. After his left leg broke through, he shifted his weight and his right leg sank to the knee. He activated an emergency satellite beacon, rescue crews found him using a drone, and they pulled him out several hours later. A woman was rescued from quicksand on the same trail in 2014.

Q: What did UNESCO recognition mean for Italian cuisine?

Italian cuisine was designated as a prestigious global phenomenon and became the first gastronomic style recognized by UNESCO, according to the report. An Italian chef said the recognition mattered because Italian culture is deeply centered on food. He viewed it as worldwide acknowledgment of the passion, love, intensity, and effort that people across Italy put into cooking and culinary traditions.

Q: Who was named TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year?

TIME named the architects of artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year. The cover featured technology figures Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Its composition referenced the famous photograph of 11 ironworkers sitting on a steel beam 850 feet above the ground during Rockefeller Center’s construction in New York City.

Q: How did Khloe Campbell help stray cats in North Dakota?

Thirteen-year-old Khloe Campbell created Khloe’s Cat Project after seeing many cats living on the streets of Hettinger, North Dakota, a town of about 1,000 people. In seven weeks, she rescued 87 cats, took them in, nursed them back to health, and worked to find loving homes for them. The project supports her dream of becoming a veterinarian.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• An atmospheric river brought relentless rainfall to Washington and Oregon, with parts of Washington receiving more than 10 inches within days. Flooding, debris, and mudslides closed roads and trapped drivers, while more than 100,000 people were asked to evacuate. At least 26 rivers remained at risk of flooding.

• At Utah’s Arches National Park, experienced hiker Austin Dirks became trapped after sinking to his knee in quicksand that felt like hardened concrete. He activated an emergency satellite beacon, rescuers located him with a drone, and crews freed him several hours later. Another hiker required rescue on the same trail in 2014.

• Italian cuisine received UNESCO recognition as a gastronomic style, while TIME named the architects of artificial intelligence its 2025 Person of the Year. The program also featured 13-year-old Khloe Campbell, whose cat project rescued 87 stray cats in seven weeks in Hettinger, North Dakota, a town of about 1,000 people.