Articles by Luke Vargas's Profile | The Wall Street Journal, WSJ What’s News Journalist

Fertilizer Shortages Risk Dragging Global Consumer Demand

Apr 24, 2026 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

A farmer spread fertilizer on a field in Kashmir earlier this month. Faisal Bashir/SOPA/ZUMA Shortages of fuel and fertilizer across Asia’s developing economies are threatening consumer spending far beyond the continent, according to HSBC’s chief Asia economist. “It's the entire supply chain. If you have rising food prices in places like India, for example, this will be felt across the world, including in the U.S., by higher food costs,” Frederic Neumann told WSJ’s What’s News podcast.

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Can Musk’s $25 Billion AI Bet Pay Off for Tesla?

Apr 23, 2026 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

Tesla stock is slipping premarket even though the company's results surprised Wall Street with better revenue. 🎧 On today's What's News A.M. podcast, WSJ reporter Becky Peterson tells me investors are worried about the price tag for Elon Musk’s AI plans, including the new Optimus robot.

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ECB’s Wunsch Open to April Rate Rise, More May Follow if Crisis Lasts

Apr 07, 2026 |

By Luke Vargas , Paul Hannon

| The Wall Street Journal

He says the central bank needs to move at some point to control the indirect effects of the energy crisis By Luke Vargas and Paul Hannon WSJ ProApril 7, 2026 4:06 am ET The head of Belgium’s central bank Pierre Wunsch said officials couldn’t affect the direct impact of the crisis on energy prices, but could limit the effect on prices of other goods and services.

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20,000 Seafarers Stuck in Persian Gulf: Maritime Chief

Mar 26, 2026 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

Around 2,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers remain trapped in the Persian Gulf as a result of the Iran war, according to the head of the International Maritime Organization. Crews can't change, nor can the vessels dock, which raises concerns about food, water, fuel and medical shortages on board.

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Podcast: The Economic and Legal Stakes From Trump’s Brazil Tariff Threat

Jul 10, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

President Trump broke new ground in his global tariff blitz by justifying 50% duties on Brazil on the basis of legal action against his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Reporter Gavin Bade explains how the move could push the nation closer to China, while Trump’s call for an investigation into Brazil's treatment of U.S. tech firms could help tariffs withstand legal challenge.

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Europe Won’t Weaken Laws to Buy More U.S. Goods, Says Trade Official

Apr 04, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

The European Parliament's Bernd Lange said new U.S. tariffs on the EU are unjustified. (Alexis Haulot/European Union) The European Union is exploring the purchase of more American products to reduce its deficit in goods with the U.S., but has no intention of watering down legislation as a part of upcoming negotiations. Speaking on our What’s News podcast, European Parliament trade committee chair Bernd Lange called new 20% U.S. tariffs on the EU “unjustified.

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Why Auto Tariffs Could Backfire for U.S. Car Exports

Apr 04, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

German carmaker BMW manufactures SUVs in South Carolina, but imports parts from China. (Sean Rayford/Associated Press) New tariffs on foreign automobiles and parts could actually make U.S-made cars less attractive on the world stage and disincentivize domestic production, a high-profile economist told WSJ’s What’s News podcast.

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How U.S. Banks and Software Giants Could Face EU Tariff Backlash

Apr 02, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

Most eyes will be trained on the Rose Garden this afternoon, but how foreign capitals react to U.S. tariffs will reveal the severity of the coming trade war. The European Union can ratchet up tensions by invoking something known as the anti-coercion instrument, Neuberger Berman’s Maya Bhandari told WSJ’s What’s News podcast. This relatively new sanctions system would let it target U.S. services in addition to goods. “These are a serious toolkit,” Bhandari said.

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How China Is Challenging the West With Its Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Plan

Feb 23, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas

| MSN

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How China Is Challenging the West With Its Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Plan

Feb 23, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas , Kate Bullivant , Daniel Bach

| The Wall Street Journal

In great-power rivalries, it matters who’s on your side. For years, Washington has been either indifferent or inconsistent in its dealings with swaths of the globe. At times it has actively tested the patience of its longtime partners. $13.75/Week $4/Week Includes unlimited digital access to The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Barron’s and Investor’s Business Daily $9.75/Week $2/Week Includes unlimited digital access to WSJ's unrivaled journalism. Already a subscriber? Sign in

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How China Is Challenging the West With Its Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Plan

Feb 23, 2025 |

By Luke Vargas , Kate Bullivant , Daniel Bach

| Flipboard

18 hours ago US: Gold bars worth billions fly from London to New York United Kingdom, United States - Recent A significant amount of gold bars are being transported from London to New York City, triggered by concerns over the potential tariff hike U.S. President Donald Trump could impose against Europe. The tariff threats have fueled arbitrage trading of physical gold, leading to the surge in the movement of physical gold over the Atlantic.

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Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything | Senior Column

Apr 24, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| NewsBreak

Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.

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Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything | Senior Column

Apr 24, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Penn State was not my first choice school, and looking back, I will never be happier to be so wrong. Before I committed to Penn State, I sat down with Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Gary Abdullah, and he asked me: “What is your dream?” I responded: “I want to cover soccer at the highest level.” “If you come to Penn State,” Gary said, “We’ll get you there.” Sure enough, three years later I covered the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand for the Associated Press.

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Failed eclipse viewing? Here’s why it was worth it | Column

Apr 09, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| NewsBreak

Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.

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Failed eclipse viewing? Here’s why it was worth it | Column

Apr 09, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Millions of Americans traveled to cities in the path of totality to catch the solar eclipse at its apex on Monday. For many, particularly those in State College, the experience was marred by overcast skies. People took days off of work, booked hotel rooms and Airbnbs and traveled from all over to see the eclipse only to be let down. Some students across the country, maybe a lucky Penn Stater or two, even had class canceled for the eclipse.

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Faculty, students need to treat the classroom as a community | Column

Apr 04, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

A month ago, I took part in a Q-and-A panel at a faculty lunch for Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. For the first time in my college career, I sat at the front of the room and my professors and instructors all looked to a handful of students for answers. They were searching for answers on what role they play in student mental health. Spoiler alert: Faculty are consequential in student mental health.

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Treat the classroom as a community | The key to engagement is making a space for relationship

Apr 04, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

A month ago, I took part in a Q-and-A panel at a faculty lunch for Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. For the first time in my college career, I sat at the front of the room and my professors and instructors all looked to a handful of students for answers. They were searching for answers on what role they play in student mental health. Spoiler alert: Faculty are consequential in student mental health.

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Treat the classroom as a community | The key to engagement is making a space for relationship

Apr 04, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| NewsBreak

Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.

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Reasons to stop using a laptop in class | Column

Mar 28, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Brian Toto was left fairly shocked after his first “Gen-Ed” class. The fourth-year mechanical engineering student is in the final stretch of his Penn State career. Just when Toto thought he had seen it all, he walked into his first Nutrition 100 lecture and was shocked to find himself in a sea of laptops. Nearly every student in Forum 215 had a laptop sitting in front of them, mostly MacBooks.

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Should I get a tattoo? This is how I decided | Column Original

Mar 14, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

My mother recently pointed out that she observed more people my age are getting tattoos than when she was in college. It would make sense that I wouldn’t notice this trend in my own generation — if it is a trend— but regardless, she’s right: Tattoos are commonplace for American adults. A Pew Research Center study from last August found 41% of adults under 30 have at least one tattoo. The same study found 80% of Americans say people have grown “more accepting” of tattoos over the last 20 years.

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Hit the Road: The best way to beat State College boredom | Column

Feb 22, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

To some students, State College is the biggest “city” they’ve ever lived in, and for others, it’s the tiniest hamlet they’ll ever know. Regardless of what your perspective of the town is, State College, Pennsylvania, only takes up nearly 4.6 square miles, and it can get old. As a senior, frequenting the same bars starts to feel repetitive. Walking the same streets everyday to get to class becomes mindless. Driving up North Atherton to shop for groceries at Trader Joe’s or GIANT loses its flair.

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A reflection on dust, individualism and Ash Wednesday | Column

Feb 16, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

The basement of Champs Downtown is the last place I’d ever expect to discuss the meaning of Ash Wednesday. A friend told me, on Monday night, how much she disliked the Ash Wednesday ritual. Two days ago, hundreds of Catholic students on campus went to the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center to take part in the holy day.

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How Outdoor Boys videos are getting me through winter | Column

Feb 08, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

“Luke here from the Outdoor Boys YouTube channel! For the next four days, I’m alone, here in the Alaskan mountains. I’m taking my snow machine deep into the wilderness. I’m going to be camping in a hot tent, hunting, ice fishing and a lot of things will go wrong. But I’m all by myself, so I’m just going to deal with it.” That was the opening blurb from the latest video from the Outdoor Boys, and these videos, and one man’s simple optimism, have been getting me through this winter.

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Why I don’t use AI: It won’t teach me to work harder | Column

Jan 25, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| NewsBreak

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Why I don’t use AI: It won’t teach me to work harder | Column

Jan 25, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Editor’s Note: Not a single line of this column was written using any form of generative AI. There is no question generative AI is here to stay, and most everyone will be changed forever by its presence. The rise of ChatGPT and other large language models have left educational institutions scrambling to find ways to stop students from cheating while, simultaneously, finding healthy applications to their curricula. AI has changed my field of study and profession, journalism, forever.

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Watch your mouth: Students need to stop swearing in public | Column

Jan 11, 2024 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

On Penn State’s campus, many students appear to be fairly foul-mouthed. Profanity, expletives, swearing, cursing, cussing, you name it. This is an expected and excused part of casual conversation within the confines of campus. Obviously, this isn’t some new thing. All adult people say bad words. Professors do it. Bosses at summer internships do it. It’s part of life, and that’s more than OK.

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Lean in: Don’t abandon healthy routines during finals week | Column

Dec 08, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

There are many occasions when it’s more than necessary to break up a well-formed routine, but finals week is not one of them. The end of the fall semester is noticeably different than any other time in the 15-week semester. The weather gets colder. Holiday decorations start popping up everywhere. Professors and students’ attention shifts from the classwork to the impending holidays. As students, there’s a tendency to change the approach to everyday life.

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‘Welcome, glad you made it’: Respond mercifully to tardiness | Column

Nov 09, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

There is always someone late for church. No matter where in the world I’ve attended mass, somebody is destined to show up to church late, and that’s totally OK. More importantly, that’s more than enough. I was recently at a church service at a small university in New Hampshire, and in a congregation of maybe 50 people, almost a dozen students rolled in late. Church, a devoted hour or so of prayer and introspection, was interrupted by the creaking of wooden pews and people shuffling into them.

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‘We Have No Tears Left’: Sounds and Voices of People Living in Gaza

Nov 08, 2023 |

By Juanje Gómez, Chao Deng , Stephen Kalin , Luke Vargas

| The Wall Street Journal

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Penn State’s biking problem is out of control | Column

Oct 12, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Penn State’s campus is horrible to drive through: That’s how it was designed to be. Cars can’t invade campus sidewalks, but bicycles, on the other hand, have become a huge problem on University Park walkways. The walkability of campus was an intentional design choice. Past university administration made it a point as the campus expanded out from Old Main that it should be more walkable — not driveable or bikeable.

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Mel Tucker’s firing spells cautionary tale for Penn State, James Franklin | Column

Oct 05, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Michigan State is staring down a legal storm in the wake of firing head football coach Mel Tucker for cause. While the Spartans write out their own cautionary tale, one university in particular is left with much to think about: Penn State. This crisis in East Lansing seemingly began in April of 2022, when Tucker sexually harassed rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy. In reality, all of this started a year earlier.

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Saying hello: A simple answer to rampant loneliness among students | Column

Sep 07, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

The main arteries of Penn State campus are packed in early September. Over 40,000 undergraduate students still have the will to go to classes made evident by the clotted sidewalks across University Park. More than 100,000 people call State College home during the normal academic year, but somehow, even on a bright summer day, Pennsylvania’s flagship state university can be one of the loneliest places.

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The case for a 4-day school week for Penn State | Column

Aug 31, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Schedule building is more of an art than a science for Penn State students. Every semester, students try to work various desirable traits into their schedules: breaks between classes, no early morning commitments, classrooms in close proximity and, of course, Fridays off. Students around the country have been enjoying this perk since the dawn of schedule building, but nowadays, some students arrive on campus already accustomed to a four-day school week.

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Mount Nittany: The unspectacular hike that tells us who we are | Column

Aug 07, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Daily Collegian

Mount Nittany is a silly hike up a big hill. There, I said it. There are many rituals, traditions and rites of passage at Penn State, but there are none more overhyped than climbing Mount Nittany. After doing the hike my first year, and again as a junior last November, I’ve become disillusioned with Mount Nittany as a whole. The name itself is fairly deceiving. Many geologists classify hills that are 1,000 feet taller than the surrounding area to be mountains.

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Zambia earns first Women's World Cup win with 3-1 victory over Costa Rica

Aug 04, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| Standard Journal

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal at this year’s Women’s World Cup, and Barbra Banda added the 1,000th goal in tournament history, as tournament newcomer Zambia earned its first ever win with a 3-1 victory Costa Rica on Monday. The victory sent Zambia home from its first World Cup on an emotional high. Both teams had already been eliminated from the knockout stage before the match.

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Zambia earns first Women's World Cup win with 3-1 victory over Costa Rica

Aug 04, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Argus-Press

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal at this year’s Women’s World Cup, and Barbra Banda added the 1,000th goal in tournament history, as tournament newcomer Zambia earned its first ever win with a 3-1 victory Costa Rica on Monday. The victory sent Zambia home from its first World Cup on an emotional high. Both teams had already been eliminated from the knockout stage before the match.

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Sweden wins Group G at Women’s World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 03, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| West Hawaii Today

HAMILTON, New Zealand — Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. Argentina was eliminated from the tournament. Neither side looked close to scoring for much of the match until Blomqvist broke the deadlock with a headed goal at the 66th-minute mark to help the blue and yellow finish 3-0 and win Group G.

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World Cup in Brief

Aug 03, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| Jackson Hole Daily

Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. kAm}6:E96C D:56 =@@<65 4=@D6 E@ D4@C:?8 7@C >F49 @7 E96 >2E49 F?E:= q=@>BG:DE 3C@<6 E96 5625=@4< H:E9 2 962565 8@2= 2E E96 eeE9\>:?FE6 >2C< E@ 96=A E96 3=F6 2?5 J6==@H 7:?:D9 b\_ 2?5 H:? vC@FA v]k^Am kAm$H656?[ H9:49 C6DE65 ?:?6 DE2CE6CD E@ @A6? E96 >2E49[ E9C62E6?65 2E E:>6D :? E96 7:CDE 92=7] p 4@>3:?2E:@?

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Sweden wins Group G at Women's World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| Columbia Missourian

HAMILTON, New Zealand — Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. kAm}6:E96C D:56 =@@<65 4=@D6 E@ D4@C:?8 7@C >F49 @7 E96 >2E49 F?E:= q=@>BG:DE 3C@<6 E96 5625=@4< H:E9 2 962565 8@2= 2E E96 eeE9\>:?FE6 >2C< E@ 96=A E96 3=F6 2?5 J6==@H 7:?:D9 b\_ 2?5 H:? vC@FA v]k^Am kAm$H656?[ H9:49 C6DE65 ?:?6 DE2CE6CD E@ @A6? E96 >2E49[ E9C62E6?65 2E E:>6D :?

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Argentina se despide del Mundial; Suecia pasa a 8vos primera y se verá con EEUU

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| Arizona Daily Star

HAMILTON, Nueva Zelanda (AP) — Un gol de Rebecka Blomqvist en la segunda parte allanó el camino a la victoria el miércoles de Suecia por 2-0 ante Argentina en la última jornada del Grupo G Argentina quedó eliminada de la máxima competición por selecciones mientras que las suecas avanzaron a los octavos de final, donde se enfrentarán a la vigente campeona Estados Unidos.

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Sweden shuts out Argentina, advances to round-of-16 showdown with U.S. at Women’s World Cup

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The Globe and Mail

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Sweden wins Group G at Women’s World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| WJTV-TV (Jackson, MS)

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. Argentina was eliminated from the tournament. Neither side looked close to scoring for much of the match until Blomqvist broke the deadlock with a headed goal at the 66th-minute mark to help the blue and yellow finish 3-0 and win Group G.

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Argentina se despide del Mundial; Suecia pasa a 8vos primera y se verá con EEUU

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| The San Diego Union-Tribune

(Andrew Cornaga / Associated Press) Un gol de Rebecka Blomqvist en la segunda parte allanó el camino a la victoria el miércoles de Suecia por 2-0 ante Argentina en la última jornada del Grupo G del Mundial femenino de Australia y Nueva Zelanda. Argentina quedó eliminada de la máxima competición por selecciones mientras que las nórdicas avanzaron a octavos, donde se enfrentarán a la vigente campeona, Estados Unidos.

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Sweden wins Group G at Women's World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| WV News

By LUKE VARGAS - Associated Press HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) - Rebecka Blomqvist's second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women's World Cup. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Sweden wins Group G at Women's World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas

| tricitynews.com

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) - Rebecka Blomqvist's second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women's World Cup.

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Sweden wins Group G at Women's World Cup to advance to showdown with the United States

Aug 02, 2023 |

By Luke Vargas , Luke Vargas -

| Beloit Daily News

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. kAm}6:E96C D:56 =@@<65 4=@D6 E@ D4@C:?8 7@C >F49 @7 E96 >2E49 F?E:= q=@>BG:DE 3C@<6 E96 5625=@4< H:E9 2 962565 8@2= 2E E96 eeE9\>:?FE6 >2C< E@ 96=A E96 3=F6 2?5 J6==@H 7:?:D9 b\_ 2?5 H:? vC@FA v]k^Am kAm$H656?[ H9:49 C6DE65 ?:?6 DE2CE6CD E@ @A6? E96 >2E49[ E9C62E6?65 2E E:>6D :?

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