Life doesn’t come with a handbook, and neither does death.
Why do we keep it hidden away? Why do we try so desperately to cheat it? I suppose we’ve come a long way since Walt Disney froze his head (fact check: <a href="https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/walt-disney-frozen-after-death-myth">false</a>), but forever-young <a href="https://time.com/6315607/bryan-johnsons-quest-for-immortality/">Bryan Johnson</a> isn’t any closer to living forever, and, judging by his thawed-over looks and massive supplement regimen, I’m not sure most people would find that route appealing anyway. But <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/03/silicon-valleys-quest-to-live-forever">Silicon Valley</a> pushes ahead with its plan to play God ­— or at least outwit Him. Spoiler alert, not a good plan with <a href="https://www.bibleanalysis.org/saul-the-rise-and-fall-of-israels-first-king/">Him</a> or the <a href="https://www.caltaxadviser.com/top-10-worst-celebrity-tax-cheats-in-history/">IRS</a>.
But when someone like Ben Sasse comes along, it’s hard to look away. In fact, we must look and look with wonder and awe.
The former senator from Nebraska was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December 2025. He was the guest on New York Times columnist Ross Douthat’s “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/opinion/ben-sasse-death-pancreatic-cancer.html">Interesting Times</a>” podcast on April 9, where he called the diagnosis “a death sentence.”
Days later, Sasse went viral. It wasn’t because of his appearance on the podcast, per se, but because of a <a href="https://x.com/AlexGoldenNBA/status/2042407968528880070?s=20">clip</a> of a young couple sitting courtside at an Indiana Pacers game engaged in a conversation. It was later revealed to be about Sasse’s thoughts on the state of liberal arts colleges and America’s higher education system, as discussed with Douthat.
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Pacers TV had these fans on the broadcast, and she is NOT having it 😂
After he finally stops yapping, she says, “that’s you…what the f*** are you talking about?” <a href="https://t.co/XdXMC6xhE9">pic.twitter.com/XdXMC6xhE9</a>
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexGoldenNBA/status/2042407968528880070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Source: @AlexGoldenNBA/X.com
So here we have a made-for-meme moment starring two Pacers fans breathing fresh life into a man not just dying before our eyes but leaning into it so far that Sheryl Sandberg is taking notes. Now we can’t look away.
The good news and bad news are the same: you are going to die. We are all going to die. Fear not! There is no commitment on your end — other than the fate of your eternal soul. The trick to seeing both ways is to pause and consider what this means in life.
Americans are a dynamic, forward-thinking, happy-go-lucky crew who have too much going on at any given moment to stop and think about when things will stop forever. That mentality has had its benefits. We boldly ventured into the great Western frontier, stormed European beaches not once, but twice, to bail out our Old-World brethren from tangles of their own making. We rule the seas and explore the skies.
But all that moving and world-shaking leaves us wholly unprepared for the end. So yes, we’re all going to die. Death and taxes, as the saying goes. Except taxes can be managed, depending on who wields the political levers of power, or if you have an accountant whose address is a P.O. box and insists you pay in cash. Death has no workaround, comes with no instructions, and looks different for every person on the planet. But the good news is that being reminded of our mortality crystallizes the urgency and preciousness of life, and that life isn’t lived out on our timeline, no matter what technological advances the tech wunderkinds promise, and there are no one-size-fits-all guidelines.
In Tim Burton’s 1988 film “Beetlejuice,” married couple Barbara and Adam Maitland (played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident and find themselves stuck in the afterlife with nothing but the “Handbook for the Recently Deceased” to guide them. It contains tips and quips: “Live people ignore the strange and unusual,” and “The living usually won&#8217;t see the dead.” But Burton’s film is a fictional tale with a fictional book, devoid of faith, and it spares us the actual dying part.
Ben Sasse doesn’t have a handbook on death or dying, yet here he is publicly facing his mortality in the most painful and gruesome way. Sasse is turning Beetlejuice’s “Handbook” on its head, doling out valuable insight and wisdom to the living, and we treat it like a spectator sport, except this Pacers fan boyfriend, who is trying to impart a piece of that wisdom to his girlfriend. “What the f*ck are you talking about?” she responds. Keep trying, buddy; a nation is cheering for you, and for Ben Sasse.
Douthat asked Sasse if he felt “ready to die.” He replied that although he didn’t feel ready, he had hope, due to his Christian faith, that he would be with God, “I know that that’s what I need,” he said.
We can plan for the afterlife: I want Elvis singing over the loudspeakers and free cigarettes at the funeral cash bar. But mostly, I want people to reflect on how they’re spending their limited time among the living — because even a one-day crash course on death could have repercussions in life. And that is exactly what Ben Sasse did and is doing: offering his death so we might reflect on our lives.
That’s not something we can find in any handbook.

Capitol Hill Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ben Sasse Is Going To Die — And So Are You

Ben Sasse

Christianity

Death

DW Opinion

Faith

Former Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse said he does not fear his death during an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/opinion/ben-sasse-death-pancreatic-cancer.html">interview</a> with Ross Douthat earlier this week.
Sasse <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-senator-ben-sasse-reveals-stage-four-cancer-diagnosis-ive-got-less-time-than-id-prefer?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Former+Senator+Ben+Sasse+Reveals+Stage-Four+Cancer+Diagnosis%3A+%E2%80%98I%E2%80%99ve+Got+Less+Time+Than+I%E2%80%99d+Prefer%E2%80%99">said</a> in December that he had been diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, calling it a “death sentence.”
“I was incredibly blessed to be quickly at peace,” Sasse told Douthat. “I kept hearing the Pauline phrase, ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain.’&#8221;
“Death is terrible,” Sasse added. “We should never sugarcoat it. It is not how things are meant to be. But it is great that death can be called the final enemy. It’s an enemy, but it’s a final enemy, and then there will be no more tears.”
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Former Sen. Ben Sasse, who is facing terminal illness, opens up about how his faith in Jesus Christ is sustaining him during this difficult time:
“I believe in the Resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world, and so I did not feel great fear about my death.” <a href="https://t.co/MhZrV5ULra">pic.twitter.com/MhZrV5ULra</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2042661373125984542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Sasse is now in the fourth month since his diagnosis, having been told he had three to four months to live.
“I believe in the Resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world, and so I did not feel great fear about my death,” Sasse said. “I didn’t want the pain I was going through, I didn’t want to be a pansy-ass in my final moments.”
Sasse had a bloody face during his interview, a side effect of a new cancer treatment, he told Douthat. The treatment is extending the lives of cancer patients, but causes bleeding, peeling, and rashes.
“It’s a nasty drug,” Sasse said. “It causes crazy stuff, like my body can’t grow skin, and so I bleed out of a whole bunch of parts of me that shouldn’t be bleeding.”
Sasse has done several interviews since his diagnosis, and he told Douthat he has “time to redeem.”
“You gotta redeem the time, and there’s only so many bits of unsolicited advice I can give my children,” Sasse said when asked why he is choosing to talk to journalists. “You journalists want to talk, and if you don’t have anybody better, I’m your man.”
Although Sasse said he has made peace with his mortality, he added that he does have regrets about having prioritized poorly throughout his life.
“We’re all on the clock, and I wanted to have prioritized better, and whether I really only had three or four months left or if I get nine to 12 months left, I wanna prioritize better from then. But in my tradition, in Christianity, the need for daily repentance is just a truth. I am broken,” Sasse said. “And I get to repent every day of my sins — of both omission and commission. And yet, at a slightly bigger level, if you’re only gonna get three or four months, you really wanna get some of your affairs in order.”
Sasse said he has felt a heaviness about the diagnosis because he does not want to leave his children without a father.
“I knew that God was not surprised by the diagnosis,” Sasse said. “There is not a maverick molecule in the universe. But I didn’t like the idea of my 14-year-old son not having a dad around at 16. I didn’t like the idea of my daughters, who are 22 and 24, not having their dad there to walk them down the aisle.”
Despite his concerns, Sasse said, he is still at peace.
“I’ve continued to feel a peace about the fact that death is something that we should hate, we should call it a wicked thief, and yet, it’s pretty good that you pass through the veil of tears one time and then there will be no more tears,” Sasse said.

‘To Die Is Gain’: Ben Sasse Faces Terminal Cancer With Unshakable Faith

Cancer

General

Politics

Religion

U.S.

Former Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse revealed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, adding that he is &#8220;gonna die.&#8221;
Sasse, a 53-year-old husband and father of three, <a href="https://x.com/BenSasse/status/2003483746540965891">announced</a> the tragic news in a lengthy social media post, saying that the diagnosis is a &#8220;death sentence.&#8221;
&#8220;Friends- This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,&#8221; Sasse wrote. &#8220;Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.&#8221;
Sasse, who represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate for eight years, resigned from his seat in 2022 and, shortly after, was appointed the president of the University of Florida. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-gop-senator-ben-sasse-announces-he-is-stepping-down-as-university-of-florida-president">stepped down</a> from leading the University of Florida in July of 2024 after revealing that his wife was dealing with a serious medical condition and had suffered an aneurysm and a series of strokes. During his time as president of Florida, Sasse took a strong stance against anti-Israel protesters in the wake of Hamas&#8217; terrorist attack on Israel and said the university would &#8220;draw a hard line at unlawful action.&#8221;
Sasse was a staunch pro-life advocate in the U.S. Senate and constantly pushed the U.S. government to remain tough on China. He has also been a strong critic of President Donald Trump since Trump first stepped into the political spotlight in 2016.
The former Republican senator said on Tuesday, &#8220;I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad.&#8221; Sasse added that he is relying on his Christian faith to get him through his recent cancer diagnosis.
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&#8220;There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say &#8216;hope&#8217; when what we mean is &#8216;optimism.&#8217; To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son.&#8221;
&#8220;I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.&#8221;

Former Senator Ben Sasse Reveals Stage-Four Cancer Diagnosis: ‘I’ve Got Less Time Than I’d Prefer’

Health

U.S. Senate

Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) announced on Thursday that he is stepping down as the president of the University of Florida because his wife was diagnosed with a serious medical condition that will require him to be home more often.
Sasse, who has been at the school since November 2022, said that his wife Melissa suffered an aneurysm and series of strokes in 2007 and that doctors had been preparing the family for the worst.
&#8220;We’ve battled some nasty seizures the last couple years, but she’s always remained a warrior,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In recent months, Melissa has been diagnosed with epilepsy and has been struggling with a new batch of memory issues. It’s been hard, but we’ve faced it together.&#8221;
He said that his role as a husband and a father takes priority over his professional career and that his wife &#8220;deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home many more nights.&#8221;
&#8220;After extensive prayer and lots of family tears, I today asked UF Chair Mori Hosseini and our Board of Trustees to initiate a search for a new president of the university,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I need to step back for a time and focus more on the needs of my family while we rebuild more stable household systems.&#8221;
Mori Hosseini, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement: “The Board of Trustees thanks Dr. Sasse for his service to the University of Florida. Under his leadership, UF has continued to advance on the national and international stage, benefiting our students, faculty, alumni, community and state. He has left a lasting impact on the university and all of those associated with it. We wish Ben all the best as he steps back to focus on his family.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dear Gator Nation and cherished friends,
This isn’t an easy note to write but wanted to give you an update on our family. As many of you know, my wife Melissa suffered an aneurysm and series of strokes in 2007. Back then, the docs prepared us for the worst, but – in God’s…
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenSasse/status/1814093534078878056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote>

Former GOP Senator Ben Sasse Announces He Is Stepping Down As University Of Florida President

Education

University of Florida

Former U.S. Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ben-sasse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Sasse</a> (R-NE), now the president of the University of Florida, slammed pro-Hamas demonstrators this week who have created chaos on college campuses across the U.S. and the weak leadership at the universities that has allowed the behavior to happen.
Sasse&#8217;s remarks come after the school released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-florida-slams-leftist-protesters-while-announcing-arrests-not-a-daycare" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> early in the week revealing that numerous arrests were made on campus because the school would not tolerate disorderly conduct that was in violation of the school&#8217;s policies.
&#8220;Higher education has for years faced a slow-burning crisis of public trust,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-adults-are-still-in-charge-at-the-university-of-florida-israel-protests-tents-sasse-eca6389b?mod=opinion_lead_pos7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in an op-ed at The Wall Street Journal. &#8220;Mob rule at some of America’s most prestigious universities in recent weeks has thrown gasoline on the fire. Pro-Hamas agitators have fought police, barricaded themselves in university buildings, shut down classes, forced commencement cancellations, and physically impeded Jewish students from attending lectures.&#8221;
Sasse said that parents were right to be angered over the &#8220;asinine entitlement of these activists and the embarrassing timidity of many college administrators.&#8221;
He said that at the University of Florida, the message that the school sends to parents and the future employers of college students is that &#8220;the adults are still in charge.&#8221;
&#8220;To cherish the First Amendment rights of speech and assembly, we draw a hard line at unlawful action,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Speech isn’t violence. Silence isn’t violence. Violence is violence. Just as we have an obligation to protect speech, we have an obligation to keep our students safe. Throwing fists, storming buildings, vandalizing property, spitting on cops and hijacking a university aren’t speech.&#8221;
He said that school&#8217;s making empty threats to quell bad behavior is not effective and only serves to embolden those who are violating policies.
&#8220;Appeasing mobs emboldens agitators elsewhere,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Moving classes online is a retreat that penalizes students and rewards protesters. Participating in live-streamed struggle sessions doesn’t promote honest, good-faith discussion. Universities need to be strong defenders of the entire community, including students in the library on the eve of an exam, and stewards of our fundamental educational mission.&#8221;
He said that the school made the rules clear to the protesters who were on campus, and many of them decided that the consequences were worth it and have since been arrested and thrown off campus.
&#8220;We said it. We meant it. We enforced it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We wish we didn’t have to, but the students weighed the costs, made their decisions, and will own the consequences as adults. We’re a university, not a daycare. We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas.&#8221;
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He said that schools needed to &#8220;recommit themselves to real education&#8221; instead of focusing on identity politics and other woke nonsense.
He continued:
<blockquote> Rather than engage a wide range of ideas with curiosity and intellectual humility, many academic disciplines have capitulated to a dogmatic view of identity politics. Students are taught to divide the world into immutable categories of oppressors and oppressed, and to make sweeping judgements accordingly. With little regard for historical complexity, personal agency or individual dignity, much of what passes for sophisticated thought is quasireligious fanaticism.
The results are now on full display. Students steeped in this dogma chant violent slogans like “by any means necessary.” Any? Paraglider memes have replaced Che Guevara T-shirts. But which paragliders—the savages who raped teenage girls at a concert? “From the river to the sea.” Which river? Which sea?
Young men and women with little grasp of geography or history—even recent events like the Palestinians’ rejection of President Clinton’s offer of a two-state solution—wade into geopolitics with bumper-sticker slogans they don’t understand. For a lonely subset of the anxious generation, these protest camps can become a place to find a rare taste of community. This is their stage to role-play revolution. Posting about your “allergen-free” tent on the quad is a lot easier than doing real work to uplift the downtrodden.</blockquote>
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis set the tone in the state regarding what behavior would not be tolerated on college campuses in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attack.
Just a couple of weeks after the attack, DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-orders-florida-colleges-to-shut-down-pro-palestinian-student-groups-that-expressed-support-for-hamas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> the state to crack down on collegiate student groups that showed support for Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Flood terrorist attack.
The governor directed Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, to send notices to the University of Florida and the University of South Florida notifying them that they must deactivate their chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) because they allegedly broke Florida laws about terrorism.
“During a holy Jewish holiday, the recognized terrorist organization, Hamas, launched an unprovoked attack on Israel – among those killed were babies, women, and elderly,” Rodrigues said in a letter to the presidents of Florida’s public universities. “To date, approximately 1,400 Israelis have been killed, including 31 American citizens. Governor DeSantis, our State University System and the Florida College System have condemned these attacks.”
In response to the Palestinian Islamic terrorist attack, “National Students for Justice in Palestine (National SJP) released a ‘toolkit’ which refers to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as ‘the resistance’ and unequivocally states: ‘Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement,’” the letter said.
The letter noted that under Florida law, it is a felony to “knowingly provide material support . . . to a designated foreign terrorist organization. . .” Hamas is designated by the Untied States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“Here, National SJP has affirmatively identified it is part of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood—a terrorist led attack,” the letter continued, later adding: “Based on the National SJP’s support of terrorism, in consultation with Governor DeSantis, the student chapters must be deactivated.”
The letter concluded by saying that Florida will continue to monitor events on college campuses and will be “using all tools at our disposal to crack down on campus demonstrations that delve beyond protected First Amendment speech into harmful support for terrorist groups.”

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Virtually Addresses Congress On Current Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

University of Florida President Ben Sasse Blasts ‘Asinine Entitlement’ Of Pro-Hamas Protesters

Florida

Hamas

Israel

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nebraska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nebraska</a> Governor Jim Pillen appointed the state&#8217;s former Republican Governor Pete Ricketts as the Cornhusker State&#8217;s next senator on Thursday, replacing Ben Sasse, who officially resigned early this week.
Ricketts served two terms as the state&#8217;s top official from 2015 until last week when his successor moved into the governor&#8217;s mansion.
Governor Pillen personally chose Ricketts to fill the vacated Senate seat, saying he took the process to replace Sasse &#8220;incredibly seriously&#8221; because the appointee needs to &#8220;represent the people&#8221; of Nebraska, NBC <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/nebraska-gov-pillen-appoints-former-gov-pete-ricketts-ben-sasses-senat-rcna65482" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Pillen said the next senator must reflect &#8220;values and ideology important to Nebraskans,” believe in &#8220;less government and fiscal accountability,&#8221; and be a &#8220;person of incredible faith, God-fearing like almost all Nebraskans.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s clear the person for the job was Sen.-designate Pete Ricketts,&#8221; he said.
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/us/politics/pete-ricketts-nebraska-senator.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>, Ricketts said during a news conference after Pillen appointed him that the Senate has to &#8220;hold Washington, D.C., accountable for the waste and the fraud,&#8221; adding that government needs to run more like a business &#8220;just like we&#8217;ve done here in Nebraska.&#8221;
&#8220;For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values?&#8221; Ricketts said in a news release, NBC reported. &#8220;In Congress, we&#8217;re in a fight for the future of our nation, and it&#8217;s a fight we have to win.&#8221;
Ricketts comes from a family heavily invested in Nebraska politics. His father, Joe Ricketts, the founder and former chief executive of the financial services company TD Ameritrade, donated to Republican candidates nationwide.
Ricketts spent approximately $1.3 million in the Republican primary for governor last year, helping Pillen defeat a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump. His appointment comes days after former U.S. Sen. Sasse officially resigned from his seat, having accepting a position to become president of the University of Florida, where he will reportedly earn a salary of $1 million.
The Republican politician delivered his farewell address from the Senate floor last week, saying that he never planned on spending a lifetime in Washington after eight years of public service.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not what our founders envisioned for the people they would send to the federal city,&#8221; Sasse <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-senator-ben-sasse-officially-leaves-u-s-senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;They envisioned, rather, congressmen, senators, and presidents who thought of D.C. as a temporary stay.&#8221;
&#8220;Washington is a place to do a good bit of neighbor-loving work, but then to go back home to the more permanent work of life and flesh and blood whole communities,&#8221; he added.
Ricketts will fill the seat until 2024, when a special election is held for the remainder of Sasse&#8217;s term, which would have ended in 2026.

Key Speakers At The SelectUSA Investment Summit

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Fills Empty Senate Seat Vacated By Ben Sasse

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Appointed State's Next Senator, Replacing Ben Sasse

Congress

Nebraska

Republican Party

Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) officially resigned from the Senate on Sunday after reports broke last year that the congressman would pursue higher education opportunities.
Sasse, who has served as senator for Nebraska since 2015, resigned after accepting a position to become president of the University of Florida, where he will <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/3804549-sasse-officially-leaves-senate/">reportedly</a> earn a salary of $1 million.
The Republican politician delivered his farewell address from the Senate floor last week, saying that he never planned on spending a lifetime in Washington after eight years of public service.
&#8220;That&#8217;s not what our founders envisioned for the people they would send to the federal city,&#8221; Sasse <a href="https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=1CC36A1D-A7C7-4FB8-A33C-390DECF8A0A1">said</a>. &#8220;They envisioned, rather, congressmen, senators, and presidents who thought of D.C. as a temporary stay.&#8221;
&#8220;Washington is a place to do a good bit of neighbor-loving work, but then to go back home to the more permanent work of life and flesh and blood whole communities,&#8221; he added.
Sasse voted with six other Republican senators to convict former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Trump called the Nebraska senator &#8220;Little Ben Sasse&#8221; at a May rally in the congressman&#8217;s home state, adding Sasse became a &#8220;grandstanding, little-respected senator.&#8221;
During his farewell speech, Sasse acknowledged that his relationship with Nebraskans had some &#8220;marked ups and downs&#8221; over the last eight years, making him &#8220;the most censured public official in the history of Nebraska.&#8221;
&#8220;Many times, it felt like a noogie and a slap and a head butt and a hug all at once,&#8221; he said.
Shortly after news broke of Sasse&#8217;s forthcoming retirement, the senator revealed that he would become the next president at the University of Florida.
The university said in a statement that it had spent months carefully vetting hundreds of applicants for the role and that the school&#8217;s 15-member presidential search committee &#8220;unanimously recommended United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist.&#8221;
Former Nebraska Republican Governor Pete Ricketts announced last month he intends to seek his successor&#8217;s appointment to become the state&#8217;s next U.S. senator to replace Sasse.
&#8220;For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values?&#8221; Ricketts said in a statement via The Hill. &#8220;In Congress, we&#8217;re in a fight for the future of our nation, and it&#8217;s a fight we have to win. We must cut taxes, strengthen public safety and our national security, and protect our most sacred freedoms.&#8221;
&#8220;Over the last eight years, we&#8217;ve shown the world the real impact conservative leadership can have,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I want to continue delivering results for our state, fighting to reduce taxes, grow our economy, defend our liberties, and run government more like a business. I&#8217;ll never stop working to get the job done, and that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m asking for Governor-elect [Jim] Pillen&#8217;s consideration.&#8221;
Sasse, who won a second term in 2020, would have had to run for re-election again in 2026.

Senate Judiciary Committee Hears Testimony From Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland

Republican Senator Ben Sasse Officially Leaves U.S. Senate

Senator Ben Sasse Officially Retires From U.S. Senate 

President Trump

Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nebraska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nebraska</a> Governor Pete Ricketts announced he is seeking to fill the seat left by outgoing Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ben-sasse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Sasse</a> (R-NE).
In an announcement Tuesday, Ricketts said he would seek the office after Sasse left to become the next president of the University of Florida. Ricketts was term-limited as governor and will be replaced by Governor-elect Jim Pillen. Pillen, who will be sworn in on January 5, previously stated he is accepting applications for individuals to fill the seat until a special election is held in 2024.
“For me, it came down to a single question: How can I best serve the people of Nebraska and advance our conservative values?&#8221; Ricketts said in a statement, via <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3763647-nebraska-governor-running-for-sasses-senate-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a>. &#8220;In Congress, we’re in a fight for the future of our nation, and it’s a fight we have to win. We must cut taxes, strengthen public safety and our national security, and protect our most sacred freedoms.”
“Over the last eight years, we’ve shown the world the real impact conservative leadership can have,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I want to continue delivering results for our state, fighting to reduce taxes, grow our economy, defend our liberties, and run government more like a business. I’ll never stop working to get the job done, and that’s why I’m asking for Governor-elect Pillen’s consideration.&#8221;
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Pillen announced on Monday that he was accepting applications to fill Sasse&#8217;s seat. Applications must be submitted by December 23, <a href="https://www.wowt.com/2022/12/05/pillen-taking-applications-sen-sasse-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WOWT</a> reported. A special election to fill the remainder of Sasse&#8217;s term will be held in 2024.
In a letter to Ricketts on Monday, Sasse, who was just re-elected in 2020, confirmed that his resignation will take effect on January 8. &#8220;It has been a great honor to serve the people of Nebraska in the U.S. Senate these last eight years,&#8221; Sasse wrote. &#8220;I am confident that Governor-Elect Pillen will appoint someone who will serve Nebraskans well in Washington.&#8221;
Sasse originally announced his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-gop-senator-ben-sasse-to-be-next-president-of-the-university-of-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resignation</a> from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nebraska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate</a> in October, in order to become the next president of the University of Florida.
“The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption,” Sasse said in a statement at the time. “The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what, and how Americans work and so it’s changing our homes, neighborhoods, and communities too.”
Sasse said that he has been courted by top universities over the last couple of years, but that he and his wife had resisted attempts to lure him out of the Senate.
Sasse said this time was different though because he views the University of Florida as “the most interesting university in America right now.”
“Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we’ve resisted being named a finalist,” Sasse said. “This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.”
The University of Florida said in a statement that they spent months carefully vetting hundreds of applicants for the role and that the school’s 15-member presidential search committee “unanimously recommended United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist to become the University of Florida’s 13th president.”
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this report.

Outgoing Nebraska Governor Ricketts Looking To Fill Ben Sasse’s Senate Seat

Outgoing Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts Looking To Fill Ben Sasse's Senate Seat

2024 Election

Republican

Senate

U.S. Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ben-sasse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Sasse</a> (R-NE) will become the next president at the University of Florida, the senator and the university announced in separate statements Thursday afternoon.
The news came just minutes after a NewsRadio 1110 KFAB’s Ian Swanson, a former staffer for Sasse, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-republican-senator-ben-sasse-to-resign-report-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke the news</a> that Sasse was going to retire from the U.S. Senate.
&#8220;The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption,&#8221; Sasse said in a statement. &#8220;The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what, and how Americans work and so it&#8217;s changing our homes, neighborhoods, and communities too.&#8221;
Sasse said that he has been courted by top universities over the last couple of years, but that he and his wife had resisted attempts to lure him out of the Senate.
Sasse said this time was different though because he views the University of Florida as &#8220;the most interesting university in America right now.&#8221;
&#8220;Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we&#8217;ve resisted being named a finalist,” Sasse said. “This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.&#8221;
The University of Florida said in a statement that they spent months carefully vetting hundreds of applicants for the role and that the school&#8217;s 15-member presidential search committee &#8220;unanimously recommended United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist to become the University of Florida&#8217;s 13th president.&#8221;
&#8220;Dr. Sasse currently serves as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska and is a former college president, highly accomplished scholar and nationally recognized authority on higher education,&#8221; the school said.

Florida Gators

GOP Senator Ben Sasse To Be Next President Of The University Of Florida

U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) is reportedly going to resign from his position to pursue a new opportunity outside of elected office.
NewsRadio 1110 KFAB’s Ian Swanson, a former staffer for Sasse, broke the news, saying that Sasse was going to pursue an opportunity in higher education, adding that the resignation was not expected to happen immediately.
&#8220;[Senator Sasse] will imminently announce his intent to resign from the U.S. Senate to pursue another opportunity in higher education,&#8221; Swanson wrote on Twitter. &#8220;While the process could take a bit, the announcements are expected &#8216;imminently.'&#8221;
&#8220;I want to be clear here: this is a process that will take time, so the resignation will not take effect today,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The process will be announced today, and I am told to expect the resignation to actually be made official in December.&#8221;
Aaron Sanderford, a reporter with the Nebraska Examiner, reported that if Sasse does indeed resign that his seat would be filled by gubernatorial appointment.
&#8220;His replacement would serve from now until early 2025,&#8221; Sanderson said. &#8220;That would mean Nebraska could have both Senate seats up in the same presidential election year, 2024.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If Sasse&#39;s staff confirms a resignation, his spot would have to be filled by gubernatorial appointment. His replacement would serve from now until early 2025. That would mean Nebraska could have both Senate seats up in the same presidential election year, 2024.
&mdash; Aaron Sanderford (@asanderford) <a href="https://twitter.com/asanderford/status/1578106930630840320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Shortly after the news broke of Sasse&#8217;s forthcoming retirement, the senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-gop-senator-ben-sasse-to-be-next-president-of-the-university-of-florida">revealed</a> that he will become the next president at the University of Florida.
&#8220;The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption,&#8221; Sasse said in a statement. &#8220;The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what, and how Americans work and so it&#8217;s changing our homes, neighborhoods, and communities too.&#8221;
Sasse said that he has been courted by top universities over the last couple of years, but that he and his wife had resisted attempts to lure him out of the Senate.
Sasse said this time was different though because he views the University of Florida as &#8220;the most interesting university in America right now.&#8221;
&#8220;Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we&#8217;ve resisted being named a finalist,” Sasse said. “This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.&#8221;
The University of Florida said in a statement that they spent months carefully vetting hundreds of applicants for the role and that the school&#8217;s 15-member presidential search committee &#8220;unanimously recommended United States Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist to become the University of Florida&#8217;s 13th president.&#8221;
&#8220;Dr. Sasse currently serves as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska and is a former college president, highly accomplished scholar and nationally recognized authority on higher education,&#8221; the school said.
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse To Resign, Report Says

Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse tore into President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration Thursday evening for failing to condemn the targeting of Supreme Court justices.
“President Biden has an obligation to forcefully condemn the left’s harassment of the Supreme Court,&#8221; Sasse said in a statement. &#8220;Progressive activists published the home addresses of Supreme Court Justices and the White House dismissed it as ‘a lot of passion.’ That doesn’t cut it.&#8221;
&#8220;Don’t pretend this is an isolated incident,&#8221; he warned. &#8220;Two years ago, Chuck Schumer stood on the Supreme Court steps and spat threats at Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. For months progressive partisans have worked to delegitimize the Court, and now activists are doxxing the Justices’ homes.&#8221;
&#8220;This isn’t how adults act,&#8221; Sasse said. &#8220;This isn’t how American self-government works. President Biden knows this is dangerous and he ought to have the guts to say it.”
On Thursday afternoon, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki if Biden condones the publishing of the Supreme Court justices locations.
&#8220;Is that the sort of thing this president wants?&#8221; he asked.
&#8220;I think the president&#8217;s view is that there is a lot of passion,&#8221; she responded. The White House has not responded to further requests for comment from The Daily Wire.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Doocy: &quot;These activists posted a map with the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices. Is that the sort of thing this President wants?&quot;
Psaki: &quot;I think the President&#39;s view is that there is a lot of passion.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/Aey03wwvGI">pic.twitter.com/Aey03wwvGI</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyWireNews/status/1522355464385843202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The senator&#8217;s comments come amid <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-groups-direct-protestors-to-descend-upon-supreme-court-justices-homes">calls from leftist organizations</a> for abortion supporters to demonstrate at the homes of the conservative Supreme Court justices. One of these groups, Ruth Sent Us, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catholic-vote-calls-on-devout-catholic-biden-to-condemn-threats-to-disrupt-catholic-masses">calling for protestors</a> to “stand at or in a local Catholic Church” on Sunday, Mother’s Day.
Ruth Sent Us additionally announced “walk-by Wednesday,” urging protestors to come to “the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland” on May 11, and ShutDownDC is advertising a Saturday evening “Candlelight Vigil for Roe v. Wade,” calling for abortion supporters to “join us in a march to Justices Kavanaugh and Roberts’ homes to protest for reproductive freedom!!”
The protestors are reacting to a leaked draft opinion showing that the court is likely preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade. Protests also took place outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-03/downtown-los-angeles-roe-wade-protest">Los Angeles</a> (where protestors violently clashed with police) and in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/03/nyregion/abortion-protest-new-york-supreme-court.html">New York City</a>.
In a Tuesday editorial, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board expressed concerns that an “abortion fanatic” might “commit an act of violence” in an effort to subvert the court’s expected decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“One question is how fast the Court should now move to publish its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,” <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-supreme-court-leak-on-roe-v-wade-samuel-alito-john-roberts-abortion-draft-opinion-11651605792">the board said</a>. “There’s an argument for getting it out fast to make it a fait accompli.”
“Politico said the Alito draft was circulated in February, so the Justices have had ample time to absorb it and respond,” it continued. “We hate to say this, but some abortion fanatic could decide to commit an act of violence to stop a 5-4 ruling. It’s an awful thought, but we live in fanatical times.”

Screen Shot 2022-05-05 at 10.51.21 PM

‘That Doesn’t Cut It’: Ben Sasse Tears Into Biden For Failing To Condemn Doxxing, ‘Harassment Of The Supreme Court’

Ben Sasse Calls On Biden To Condemn Doxxing Of Supreme Court Justices 

Abortion

Jen Psaki

Joe Biden

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

On Friday morning, Nebraska GOP Senator Ben Sasse stated of Ukraine that the U.S. should “be arming them to the teeth,” and that the United States should provide “tactical, actionable intelligence,” so they can kill “Russian invaders.”
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sasse asserted:
<blockquote>First of all, the intelligence community did a good job of getting intel out faster than they usually do to help deny Putin the pretextual cover for what he was going to do. &#8230; Ukraine isn’t a threat to Russia. Putin is a liar. He lies all the time. But he usually gets away with it. And the U.S. intelligence agencies helped thwart it this time. We need to keep that up and we need to get tactical, actionable intelligence to the Ukrainians on the ground so they can kill the Russian invaders.</blockquote>
“We need to be arming them to the teeth,” Sasse continued, as <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/sasse-russia-ukraine-sanctions/2022/02/25/id/1058496/">Newsmax</a> reported. “So, President Biden should be coming to the Congress right now asking for an emergency supplemental for defense spending. We’re not going to put boots on the ground in Ukraine. We shouldn’t. We don’t need to. They [the Ukrainians] are willing to fight. But we need to arm them.”
“We need to do more sanctions,” Sasse posited. “We need to do them faster. But fundamentally we need to have targeted sanctions to the 16 oligarchs – the mobster cronies who have enabled Putin’s madness.”
Sasse continued with advice for Western Europe, adding that Germany&#8217;s efforts needed to be ramped on energy sanctions.
<blockquote>There should be no Nord Stream 2 ever. But frankly, we need the Brits, who have been great allies in general. We need them to step up and acknowledge that there is a ton of Russian billionaire money bouncing all over London. We ought to perp walk those people out of the country. Their kids ought to be kicked out of their schools that they’re in in London. They should go back and live in Moscow’s hell holes with Putin.</blockquote>
Sasse has been a constant fierce opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin for years. In March 2018, Sasse <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/ben-sasse-blisters-putins-sham-reelection-and-hank-berrien/">blasted</a> Putin after his sham reelection. He said:
<blockquote>Vladimir Putin is not a friend. Vladimir Putin is a despot. &#8230; This very day, there are dissidents all over the globe struggling against totalitarian regimes in darkness, and to them, America has always said and America still says we see you, we stand with you. We may make long and deliberate decisions about how we engage in the world and about what particular commitments are prudent to exercise at different times with different allies, but we have always spoke unequivocally about the universal dignity of 7.6 billion people. To those who struggle, we have always said we see you, and we stand with you.
Each and every member of this Senate, all 100 of us, was elected in the kind of free and fair election that Vladimir Putin fears, the kind of election that he would not win. Vladimir Putin is a coward. Vladimir Putin is a despot. Just this month, Vladimir Putin tried to assassinate a political dissident and his daughter on NATO soil in the U.K. &#8230; We also condemn Vladimir Putin&#8217;s sham election. We condemn a Russian despot that aims to make Soviet tyranny great again.</blockquote>

Senate Finance Committee Considers Xavier Becerra For HHS Secretary

Ben Sasse On Ukraine: ‘We Need To Be Arming Them To The Teeth’

Ukraine

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