Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

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World Cup: Semifinalists announced,
American sports journalist Grant Wahl dies in Qatar

The final four teams in the 2022 Men’s World Cup have clinched their spots. On Friday, both quarterfinal matches went to penalty kicks as Brazil was upset by Croatia, 1-1 (4-2). The other South American power, Argentina, had better luck and edged the Netherlands, 2-2 (4-3), after conceding a pair of late goals. On Saturday, Morocco became the first African and Arab nation in World Cup history to reach the semifinals, topping Portugal, 1-0. France and England met in the final quarterfinal match of the weekend with France holding on, 2-1.

And on Friday, soccer analyst Grant Wahl died in Qatar while covering a World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands, just days after his 48th birthday. Wahl, a sports journalist for CBS Sports and author of the GrantWahl Substack column, had covered eight men's World Cup tournaments. U.S. media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat during extra time of the game. An official cause of death has not yet been shared.

Badr Benoun of Morocco celebrates after the team's victory over Portugal put the Atlas Lions in the semifinals.
Badr Benoun of Morocco celebrates after the team's victory over Portugal put the Atlas Lions in the semifinals.

Big winter storm unleashes 'wild weather'

A powerful winter storm crashing across the West slammed parts of California with heavy rains Sunday and promised to snarl travel with feet of snow in some areas from the mountains of the Golden State through the Midwest. The storm will continue across the West while "developing into a possible blizzard" in coming days, the National Weather Service warned. Moving East, a strong low-pressure system is forecast to form over Colorado and Kansas on Monday, pulling moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico, combining it with extremely cold air from the polar regions in Canada.

A cyclist makes his way through snow along Lakeshore Drive, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in St. Joseph, Mich., after a storm moved through Southwest Michigan. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) ORG XMIT: MIBEN555
A cyclist makes his way through snow along Lakeshore Drive, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in St. Joseph, Mich., after a storm moved through Southwest Michigan. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) ORG XMIT: MIBEN555

Real quick

USC's Caleb Williams wins Heisman Trophy

Southern California sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams won the Heisman Memorial Trophy as college football's most outstanding player on Saturday. Quarterbacks have now won 19 of the 22 Heismans handed out this century. Williams is USC's first Heisman Trophy winner since Matt Leinart in 2004, tying the school with Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma with seven winners – the most all-time. Eight Trojans have actually received the award, but the 2005 trophy won by Reggie Bush was later vacated.

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams lifts the Heisman Trophy.
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams lifts the Heisman Trophy.

Lockerbie bombing suspect of 1988 Pan Am flight is in US custody, says Justice Department

A key suspect in 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, the majority of them Americans, is in U.S. custody, officials confirmed Sunday. He is expected to make an initial court appearance in Washington on charges leveled two years ago in which federal prosecutors charged his with destruction of an aircraft resulting in death and destruction of a vehicle of interstate commerce with an explosive. The Libyan intelligence officer is suspected of helping make the bomb that exploded aboard the Boeing 747 while it was flying over the small Scottish town en route from London to New York.

A police officer walks past the damage in Lockerbie, Scotland, caused by Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York in December 2008.
A police officer walks past the damage in Lockerbie, Scotland, caused by Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York in December 2008.

Return to Earth! Orion splashdown completes NASA's Artemis I moon mission

After "skipping" through Earth's atmosphere blazing in at 25,000 mph, an uncrewed Orion capsule successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, marking the exclamation point of NASA's nearly monthlong Artemis I test flight. NASA needed a successful splashdown to stay on track for the next Orion flight around the moon, currently targeted for 2024, where four astronauts are expected to make the trip. That will be followed by a two-person lunar landing as early as 2025. Sunday's conclusion came after Orion's lunar round trip spanning a total of 25½ days and about 1.4 million miles. Coincidentally, astronauts last landed on the moon 50 years ago Sunday.

This screen capture from NASA's livestream on Sunday, Dec. 11, shows an uncrewed Orion capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 12:40 p.m. ET concluding the Artemis I mission to the moon and back.
This screen capture from NASA's livestream on Sunday, Dec. 11, shows an uncrewed Orion capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 12:40 p.m. ET concluding the Artemis I mission to the moon and back.

White House: Russians were willing to free Griner but not Whelan

Paul Whelan was never offered by the Russians in the prisoner exchange that freed WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout, Biden administration officials said Sunday. Whelan, a former Marine, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges the U.S. government have called baseless. A White House spokesman said Sunday that Whelan was "never a choice posed by the Russians" to free, and that they were only willing to trade for Griner. Biden is facing backlash by Democratic and Republican lawmakers for agreeing to free Bout while the Russians continue to hold Whelan.

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine who was arrested for alleged spying, listens to the verdict in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine who was arrested for alleged spying, listens to the verdict in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020.

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Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weekend's biggest news: World Cup semifinalists, storms in the West, and Heisman Trophy winner