Ben

Former Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, a conservative who rebuked political tribalism and stood out as a longtime critic of President Trump, announced Tuesday he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Sasse, 53, made the announcement on social media, saying he learned of the disease last week and is “now marching to the beat of a faster drummer.”

“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase,” Sasse wrote. “Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.”

Sasse was first elected to the Senate in 2014. He comfortably won reelection in 2020 after fending off a pro-Trump primary challenger. Sasse drew the ire of GOP activists for his vocal criticism of Trump’s character and policies, including questioning his moral values and saying he cozied up to adversarial foreign leaders.

Sasse was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict the former president of “ incitement of insurrection ” after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. After threats of a public censure back home, he extended his critique to party loyalists who blindly worship one man and rejected him for his refusal to bend the knee.

He resigned from the Senate in 2023 to serve as the 13th president of the University of Florida after a contentious approval process. He left that post the following year after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Sasse, who has degrees from Harvard, St. John’s College and Yale, worked as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. He served as president of Midland University, a small Christian university in eastern Nebraska, before he ran for the Senate.

Sasse and his wife have three children.

“I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more,” Sasse wrote. “Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived.”

Ainslie had a strained relationship with Manchester United co-owner Ratcliffe regarding plans for the 38th America’s Cup.

Ainslie told the BBC on Tuesday that splitting with Ineos after the “fallout” was “a difficult decision” but stemmed from “different opinions on how to move forwards with the team”.

Ainslie, who will retain significant shareholding in Athena Racing under the new investment and remain as team principal, said he had been “funding the team myself”.

He told Reuters: “It’s been pretty stressful. But I believed in the team, I believed in the partnership and I was willing to take that risk.”

Ainslie was Ineos Britannia’s team principal and skipper, having got the backing of Ratcliffe in 2018 in a bid to a deliver a first win for Britain since the America’s Cup started in 1851.

The most successful sailor in Olympic history, Ainslie won the America’s Cup in 2013 with Oracle Team USA.

On Monday it was announced that the America’s Cup would be held every two years after 2029 and there will be a 55m euros (£48m) cap on costs, after the five founding teams, including Athena, formed an alliance.

Describing the move as “groundbreaking”, Ainslie said he was confident the new structure would help attract further investment and interest from broadcasters.

“Traditionally America’s Cup has been a winner-takes-all environment,” he said.

“You win it, you effectively run the next event – you decide where it is, when it is, the size of the boat, the rules and regulations.

“It’s pretty quirky – that’s what created a lot of uncertainty. Now we’ve changed that.”

Prior to this series, the 34-year-old agreed a new England central contract that will run until the end of the next Ashes in the UK in 2027.

This series loss, completed in only 11 days of cricket across the first three Tests, is likely to put pressure on the positions of McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key.

Given Stokes’ influence and importance to the England team, the Durham man would probably be given the opportunity to continue as captain if he wants the role.

He has a chequered injury history – Stokes has been dogged by knee, hamstring and shoulder problems over the past two years.

And the captain has noticeably devoted a lot of emotional energy to this series. On being dismissed in the second innings of the second Test in Brisbane, then again in the first innings in Adelaide, he threw his bat in the air in frustration.

Asked if he still has the energy for the job, Stokes replied: “Absolutely.”

After making 83 in more than five hours at the crease in the first innings, Stokes did not bowl on the third day in Adelaide, before taking the ball at the beginning of day four.

“I just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I knew I still had a big role to play so I didn’t want to expose myself.

“I felt like I was going to snap every time I ran after a ball, so I just looked after myself.

“I had a good night’s kip, woke up next morning and I was good to go again, but I actually listened to the advice that was given to me for a change from a few of the senior boys.”

Opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not aware of comments made by Ben Stokes when the England captain said his dressing room is “not a place for weak men”.

Stokes made the statement in multiple interviews following England’s defeat in the second Ashes Test against Australia earlier this month.

In the run-up to the third Test, in which England are set to be beaten to lose the series at the earliest opportunity, Stokes said he had let his message “drift around” his players.

“I’ve done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done,” said the all-rounder.

But after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day of the third Test in Adelaide, he said: “I didn’t see that.

“I didn’t see and wasn’t really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt.”

Stokes made the “weak men” comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently went on holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Before this match in Adelaide, Stokes said his team had held “raw” conversations. The captain also asked his players to “show a bit of dog” in their battle to remain in the series.

But Kent’s Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.

“It’s been very positive, the same as always,” said Crawley. “[It’s] just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game.”

Mitchell Starc bowls a “furious” Ben Stokes for 83, as his partnership with Jofra Archer is finally broken on 106 to leave England on 274-9 on day three of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes third Test – day three

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Australia have opted against recalling batter Usman Khawaja for the vital third Ashes Test – a match Ben Stokes has called the most important game in his time as England captain.

England, 2-0 down after defeats in the first two Tests, must win in Adelaide to keep their hopes of regaining the urn alive.

Defeat would mean a fourth successive series loss in Australia, extend England’s run without winning the Ashes to at least 12 years and heap significant pressure on the tourists’ management.

The positions of Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key would all come under significant scrutiny.

“Throughout my career I’ve been involved in quite a few big moments. This is another one and I’m really, really looking forward to it,” Stokes told BBC Sport.

“I’ve enjoyed the build-up, I’ve enjoyed the pressure of what this game means. As it’s come closer and closer, it’s become a lot easier. That’s how I deal with big things and big moments – look at it front on, take it on and deal with all the emotions that come with it.

“What else are you supposed to do? Don’t let the moment overcome me or feel like it’s going to control me. I’ll go out, put all that stuff to one side and do what I need to do in every situation I get put in, and try my absolute best.”

Pat Cummins will return to lead Australia after missing the first two Tests as he recovered from a back problem.

Pace bowler Cummins and off-spinner Nathan Lyon are added to the Australia team that won the second Test in Brisbane, replacing Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett.

It means no return for opener Khawaja, who missed the Test at the Gabba because of back spasms. Khawaja turns 39 on Thursday and may have played the last match of an 85-Test career.

Travis Head and Jake Weatherald will continue as the opening partnership

Australia were 2-0 ahead in the last Ashes in the UK in 2023, only for England to fight back to draw 2-2.

Cummins said his team have learned a “few lessons” from that experience and was also adamant he is fit enough to bowl without restrictions in Adelaide.

The 32-year-old has not played since the tour of West Indies in July after scans detected the back issue.

Match fitness could be crucial in the high temperatures that are forecast for when the match starts on Wednesday (23:30 GMT Tuesday).

“I had 16 weeks completely off bowling, made sure the bone heals well and from there it’s ramping up,” said Cummins.

“Normally you ramp up over maybe three or four months, but that would have meant missing the Ashes.

“We set on a pretty aggressive plan to get up in six or seven weeks. I haven’t had any hiccups. I’m feeling great, probably better than I would have thought. The back has healed well, so, here we are.”