VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — In the rematch, the U.S. had an easier time with South Sudan than it did when the teams first met a couple of weeks ago.
Easier. Not easy.
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Anthony Davis, of the United States, shoots over Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, shoots between Derrick White, (8) and Jayson Tatum, of the United States, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, puts in a basket in front of Peter Jok, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
United States fans cheer before the start a men's basketball gamebetween the United States South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, grabs a rebound against South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)
Filemaker Spike Lee is interviewed before a game between the United States and South Sudan in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, get a basket over Wenyen Gabriel, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States fans cheer before the start a men's basketball gamebetween the United States South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, reacts after a dunk over Wenyen Gabriel, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Anthony Davis, of the United States, shoots over Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, gets a dunk over Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, gets a basket on a dunk against South Sudan in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
Stephen Curry, of the United States, fools Marial Shayok, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Nuni Omot, of South Sudan, defends LeBron James, of the United States, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, shoots between Derrick White, (8) and Jayson Tatum, of the United States, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, puts in a basket in front of Peter Jok, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
The U.S. clinched a trip to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics by beating South Sudan 103-86 on Wednesday night — a game that wasn't ever really in doubt but was no romp either. Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and Kevin Durant had 14 for the Americans, who took control with a 25-4 run in the first half.
And led by Adebayo, the U.S. reserves scored 66 points.
“We've been calling ourselves the bench mob for a long time now,” Adebayo said. “And it doesn't matter who's in the lineup. We always seem to figure it out.”
Anthony Edwards scored 13 and LeBron James added 12 for the U.S. Nuni Omot led South Sudan with 21 points, while Carlik Jones scored 18 and Bul Kuol added 16.
The win locked up a knockout-round berth and the No. 1 seed out of Group C for the U.S., which joined Canada, France and Germany in the quarterfinals. There are seven teams still alive for the other four quarterfinal spots; only Puerto Rico, which faces the Americans on Saturday, has been eliminated from contention to advance.
That said, Saturday’s game — the first between Puerto Rico and the U.S. at the Olympics since an embarrassing 92-73 loss in Athens 20 years ago — isn’t meaningless for the U.S. A 3-0 record in group play would give the Americans their best chance at a top-two seed for the knockout round and, in theory, an easier matchup in the quarterfinals.
“It's not the goal," U.S. forward Anthony Davis said of making the quarterfinals. “It does give us a sense of satisfaction as far as being able to play next week. But there’s a lot that we can get better at, a lot that we can clean up, and we'll use Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico to tighten the screws again and then just see where it takes us from there.”
South Sudan finishes group play against Serbia on Saturday, a game that has knockout-stage implications for both teams. The draw for the quarterfinals will be held Saturday night, and all four quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday in Paris.
“We knew this wasn't going to be an easy task,” Jones said. “Our spirits are still positive.”
South Sudan coach Royal Ivey likened his life to a movie after his team won its Olympic opener over Puerto Rico, and understandably so. The story of his team — from the youngest country in the world, a group that overcame absurd odds just to get to the Paris Games — is a quintessential Olympic one, one that will be talked about for years whether the African nation wins another game in France or not.
That said, if nearly beating the Americans in London on July 20 in an exhibition — the 101-100 game where James had to bail out the U.S. at the end — was a movie, then this was the sequel.
In the movie world, sequels often aren’t as good as the originals. Such was the case Wednesday.
The first few minutes after the opening credits weren’t bad — South Sudan led 7-6 and 10-8 — but the plot quickly got predictable. Durant made a 3-pointer with about a minute to go in the opening quarter for the first double-digit lead, Adebayo scored inside with 8:42 left in the half to cap what was a 25-4 run, the Americans had a 33-14 lead and there wasn’t a ton of drama the rest of the way.
“They're a talented team,” U.S. guard Stephen Curry said. “On any given night, they can beat anybody.”
South Sudan cut the lead to 10 in the third, but the U.S. took a 73-57 edge into the final 10 minutes.
Most of the drama, such as it was, happened pregame anyway. U.S. coach Steve Kerr changed his starting lineup, putting Davis and Jayson Tatum in and taking Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid out. Embiid didn't play at all, while Tyrese Haliburton got his first playing time of the Olympics as the U.S. went to an 11-man rotation for the first half and took a 55-36 lead into the break.
South Sudan outscored the U.S. by two in the second half, but that hardly mattered in the end.
“We’ve got 12 guys who are all capable of dominating," Kerr said. "Every night is going to be a little different. But we like our chances with the number of great players we have on our roster.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
United States fans cheer before the start a men's basketball gamebetween the United States South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, grabs a rebound against South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)
Filemaker Spike Lee is interviewed before a game between the United States and South Sudan in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, get a basket over Wenyen Gabriel, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States fans cheer before the start a men's basketball gamebetween the United States South Sudan at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, reacts after a dunk over Wenyen Gabriel, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Anthony Davis, of the United States, shoots over Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, gets a dunk over Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)
Jayson Tatum, of the United States, gets a basket on a dunk against South Sudan in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
Stephen Curry, of the United States, fools Marial Shayok, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Nuni Omot, of South Sudan, defends LeBron James, of the United States, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Carlik Jones, of South Sudan, shoots between Derrick White, (8) and Jayson Tatum, of the United States, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Bam Adebayo, of the United States, puts in a basket in front of Peter Jok, of South Sudan, in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump used one of the flurry of executive actions that he issued on his first day back in the White House to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization for the second time in less than five years — a move many scientists fear could roll back decadeslong gains made in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Experts have also cautioned that withdrawing from the organization could weaken the world’s defenses against dangerous new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.
Here’s a look at what Trump’s decision means:
During the first Oval Office appearance of his second term, Trump signed an executive order detailing how the withdrawal process might begin.
“Ooh," Trump exclaimed as he was handed the action to sign. "That’s a big one!”
His move calls for pausing the future transfer of U.S. government funds to the organization, recalling and reassigning federal personnel and contractors working with WHO and calls on officials to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by” WHO.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to sever ties with WHO. In July 2020, several months after WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and as cases surged globally, Trump’s administration officially notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the U.S. was planning to pull out of WHO, suspending funding to the agency.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision on his first day in office in January 2021 — only to have Trump essentially revive it on his first day back at the White House.
It is the U.N.’s specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the world’s response to global health threats, including outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
“A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would make the world far less healthy and safe,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law at Georgetown University. He said in an email that losing American resources would devastate WHO's global surveillance and epidemic response efforts.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Trump's move "surrenders our role as a global health leader and silences America’s voice in critical decisions affecting global health security.”
“We cannot make WHO more effective by walking away from it,” Frieden said in a statement. “This decision weakens America’s influence and increases the risk of a deadly pandemic.”
Yes, as long as he gets the approval of Congress and the U.S. meets its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year. The U.S. joined WHO via a 1948 joint resolution passed by both chambers of Congress, which has subsequently been supported by all administrations. The resolution requires the U.S. to provide a one-year notice period should it decide to leave WHO.
It’s extremely bad. The U.S. has historically been among WHO’s biggest donors, providing the U.N. health agency not only with hundreds of millions of dollars, but also hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.
In the last decade, the U.S. has given WHO about $160 million to $815 million every year. WHO’s yearly budget is about $2 billion to $3 billion. Losing U.S. funding could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.
American agencies that work with WHO would also suffer, including the CDC. Leaving WHO would exclude the U.S. from WHO-coordinated initiatives, like determining the yearly composition of flu vaccines and quick access to critical genetic databases run by WHO, which could stall attempts to produce immunizations and medicines.
At a September campaign rally, Trump said he would “take on the corruption” at WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China.
His executive order Monday said the U.S. was withdrawing from WHO “due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China and other global health crises” and cited the agency’s “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and its “inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
WHO made several costly mistakes during the pandemic, including advising people against wearing masks and asserting that COVID-19 was not airborne. The agency only officially acknowledged last year that the virus is indeed spread in the air.
During its efforts to stop COVID-19, WHO also dealt with the biggest sexual abuse scandal i n its history, when media reports revealed that dozens of Congolese women had been sexually harassed or assaulted by health responders working to contain Ebola. The AP found senior managers were informed of some instances of sexual abuse when they occurred in 2019 but did little to stop them or punish perpetrators.
In a statement Tuesday, WHO said it “regrets” Trump's announcement.
“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO,” the organization said.
“For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” WHO said.
At a Geneva news briefing on Tuesday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said the U.S. contributed 18% of WHO's budget in 2023, making it the single biggest donor that year. He declined to say what the U.S. withdrawal might mean for WHO.
Cheng reported from Toronto. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)