Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Editors
·4 min read
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Lionel Messi, Argentina win unbelievable World Cup final vs. France

Argentina won the 2022 World Cup on Sunday, defeating France on penalty kicks after finishing tied 3-3 in one of the wildest games in the history of the tournament. It’s Argentina’s third World Cup title and first since 1986, depriving France of back-to-back championships. Lionel Messi, Argentina’s superstar who had won just about everything except for the World Cup in his career, scored two goals in the game and the win solidified his claim as soccer’s greatest of all time. France came back from a 2-0 deficit with 10 minutes left in regulation, then trailed 3-2 in extra time before Kylian Mbappe scored his third goal of the game to force the match into penalties. Mbappe finished as the World Cup’s top scorer with eight goals in seven games, while Messi was named the top player in the tournament.

Argentina's players celebrate winning the World Cup final.
Argentina's players celebrate winning the World Cup final.

White Christmas? Major snowstorm may hit swath of US before holiday

A major snowstorm may be brewing over the central and eastern U.S. in the days before Christmas with the potential to complicate holiday travel. The likelihood of a "potential blockbuster system" evolving before Christmas is increasing, AccuWeather forecasters said, although high-confidence forecasts for Christmas Day are still several days away. The storm is also expected to coincide with an outbreak of Arctic air forecast to drop temperatures to "bone-chilling levels," according to AccuWeather. The National Weather Service forecast below-average temperatures in the days before Christmas throughout most of the country, including the East Coast, South and Midwest, as the Arctic airmass heads toward the Midwest and Ohio.

El Paso mayor declares state of emergency as migrant crisis grows

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency Saturday in response to the worsening immigration crisis, which has left scores of migrants sleeping on the streets in recent days. Though Leeser has long resisted issuing a state of emergency declaration, he said Saturday the move would allow the city to tap into much-needed additional resources, which will become necessary with the Dec. 21 end to Title 42 expulsions, the Trump-era policy that permits Customs and Border Protection to expel migrants without the usual legal review. The policy, which was enacted during the pandemic, allowed migrants to be sent back to Mexico or their home countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities.

A migrant looks through clothes that were donated to stay warm on the streets of El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, after being released after crossing into the U.S.
A migrant looks through clothes that were donated to stay warm on the streets of El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, after being released after crossing into the U.S.

Real quick

Los Angeles' celebrity mountain lion P-22 euthanized due to severe injuries, illness

California's celebrity mountain lion P-22 was euthanized on Saturday, ending the feline's decades-long reign over Los Angeles, after he was found with severe health problems, officials said. P-22, thought to be about 12 years old, was the face of an international effort to save California's threatened puma population and helped draw support for the world's biggest wildlife bridge, a $90 million project expected to be finished in 2025. The beloved cat made a home in Griffith Park near the famed Hollywood Sign. After a comprehensive medical evaluation, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife found that the mountain lion "had several severe injuries and chronic health problems." He was "compassionately euthanized," officials said.

This photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows a mountain lion known as P-22, photographed in November 2014 in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles. Southern California's most famous mountain lion, known for roaming across freeways and making a sprawling Los Angeles park his home, was captured Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, by wildlife officials who said they want to examine the big cat after he killed a dog that was being walked in the Hollywood Hills.

Vikings pull off biggest comeback in NFL history with victory over Colts

The Minnesota Vikings' Greg Joseph kicked a 40-yard field goal with two seconds left in overtime and the Vikings engineered the biggest comeback in NFL history to beat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 on Saturday. The Vikings also clinched the NFC North after coming back from a 33-0 halftime deficit. The previous largest comeback belongs to the Buffalo Bills, who overcame a 32-point deficit against the Houston Oilers in the AFC Wild Card round in January 1993.

Greg Joseph celebrates with Vikings teammates after his 40-yard field goal in overtime clinched the NFC North and the NFL's largest comeback.
Greg Joseph celebrates with Vikings teammates after his 40-yard field goal in overtime clinched the NFC North and the NFL's largest comeback.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Argentina wins World Cup, holiday snowstorm, El Paso migrants, P-22 mountain lion: Weekend's biggest news