JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greg McGarity had reason to be concerned. The Gator Bowl president kept a watchful eye on College Football Playoff scenarios all season and understood the fallout might affect his postseason matchup in Jacksonville. What if the Southeastern Conference got five teams into the expanded CFP? What if the Atlantic Coast Conference landed three spots? It was a math problem that was impossible to truly answer, even into late November. Four first-round playoff games, which will end with four good teams going home without a bowl game, had the potential to shake up the system. The good news for McGarity and other bowl organizers: Adding quality teams to power leagues — Oregon to the Big Ten, Texas to the SEC and SMU to the ACC — managed to ease much of the handwringing. McGarity and the Gator Bowl ended up with their highest-ranked team, No. 16 Ole Miss, in nearly two decades. People are also reading... "It really didn't lessen our pool much at all," McGarity said. "The SEC bowl pool strengthened with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. You knew they were going to push traditional SEC teams up or down. Texas ended up pushing just about everyone down." The long waiting game was the latest twist for non-CFP bowls that have become adept at dealing with change. Efforts to match the top teams came and went in the 1990s and first decade of this century before the CFP became the first actual tournament in major college football. It was a four-team invitational — until this year, when the 12-team expanded format meant that four quality teams would not be in the mix for bowl games after they lose next week in the first round. "There's been a lot of things that we've kind of had to roll with," said Scott Ramsey, president of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. "I don't think the extra games changed our selection model to much degree. We used to look at the New York's Six before this, and that was 12 teams out of the bowl mix. The 12-team playoff is pretty much the same." Ramsey ended up with No. 23 Missouri against Iowa in his Dec. 30 bowl. A lot of so-called lesser bowl games do have high-profile teams — the ReliaQuest Bowl has No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (a rematch of last year's CFP semifinal), Texas A&M and USC will play in the Las Vegas Bowl while No. 14 South Carolina and No. 15 Miami, two CFP bubble teams, ended up in separate bowls in Orlando. "The stress of it is just the fact that the CFP takes that opening weekend," Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said. "It kind of condenses the calendar a little bit." Bowl season opens Saturday with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The first round of the CFP runs Dec. 20-21. It remains to be seen whether non-CFP bowls will see an impact from the new dynamic. They will know more by 2026, with a planned bowl reset looming. It could include CFP expansion from 12 to 14 teams and significant tweaks to the bowl system. More on-campus matchups? More diversity among cities selected to host semifinal and championship games? And would there be a trickle-down effect for everyone else? Demand for non-playoff bowls remains high, according to ESPN, despite increased focus on the expanded CFP and more players choosing to skip season finales to either enter the NCAA transfer portal or begin preparations for the NFL draft. "There's a natural appetite around the holidays for football and bowl games," Kurt Dargis, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, said at Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum last week in Las Vegas. "People still want to watch bowl games, regardless of what's going on with the playoff. ... It's obviously an unknown now with the expanded playoff, but we really feel like it's going to continue." The current bowl format runs through 2025. What lies ahead is anyone's guess. Could sponsors start paying athletes to play in bowl games? Could schools include hefty name, image and likeness incentives for players participating in bowls? Would conferences be willing to dump bowl tie-ins to provide a wider range of potential matchups? Are bowls ready to lean into more edginess like Pop-Tarts has done with its edible mascot? The path forward will be determined primarily by revenue, title sponsors, TV demand and ticket sales. "The one thing I have learned is we're going to serve our partners," Saccenti said. "We're going to be a part of the system that's there, and we're going to try to remain flexible and make sure that we're adjusting to what's going on in the world of postseason college football." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Eagles vs. Ravens: Odds, picks, predictions, and betting preview
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation" and said in a post later Saturday on X, accompanied by a photo of the two men seated a table and smiling, that he looked forward to “the work we can do together, again.” Trump said earlier on Truth Social that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” For issues in need of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration," fair trade deals "that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. trade deficit with its ally to the north. Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors. The U.S., he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.” The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Trudeau called Trump after the Republican's social media posts about the tariffs last Monday and they agreed to meet, according to a official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss detail of the private talks. The official said other countries are calling Canadian officials to hear how about how the meeting was arranged and to ask for advice. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trudeau's office said in a statement that the leaders “shared a productive wide-ranging discussion” centering on “collaboration and strengthening our relationship,” adding, "As Canada’s closest friend and ally, the United States is our key partner, and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans.” Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Trudeau had said before leaving from Friday that Trump was elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now was talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. When Trump imposed higher tariffs as president, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.
$4 billion more: Amazon deepens its bet on generative AI with AnthropicStock exchanges have warned Religare Enterprises for delay in disclosure of senior official in the company. Last November, the company made a disclosure on appoint of Rakesh Asthaana as Additional Director (to be designated as Whole Time Director) subject to approval of RBI. On October this year, the company said RBI in its letter dated May 15 refused the approval for the appointment of Asthaana. Referring to the above, both NSE and BSE in separate letters said it was observed that disclosure regarding the decision of RBI regarding non- approval for the appointment of Asthaana was disclosed by the company on October 24, 2024 after the exchange intervention which was with a delay beyond the timeline prescribed by SEBI. “The aforesaid non-compliance on your part is viewed seriously. You are hereby warned and advised to be careful in future, exercise due caution and initiate corrective steps to avoid recurrence of such lapses so as to ensure due compliance with the applicable provisions of SEBI. Any aberration in future will be viewed seriously and appropriate action would be initiated,” it said. The company was asked to disseminate a copy of the warning letter on the stock exchanges where they are listed and place it before their Board of Directors to avoid such lapses in future, it added. CommentsNone
It’s not often a book is published detailing the specific activities of an informant for the RCMP. For that reason alone, A Communist for the RCMP – The Uncovered Story of a Social Movement Informant by author Dennis Gruending, and published by Between the Lines, is an interesting read. But beyond interesting, this 234-page book is also a very important contribution to our understanding of how extensively Canadian Security Services monitor innocent individuals and how they go about it. Most of us are aware of the RCMP’s longstanding practice of using undercover agents or informants to monitor individuals, demonstrations, conferences and other activities. But it is rare to read about an informant’s activities in such great detail. This book traces the life of Frank Hadesbeck and shares details of his undercover work as an agent for Canadian security services. The backstory to this book is almost as interesting as the book itself. Frank Hadesbeck, the informant, gave a box of personal notes documenting his activities “spying” for the RCMP to a Regina academic. Hadesbeck’s hope, according to Gruending, was that someone else might write a book based on his notes, and so, in 1987 he “gifted” these to Otto Dreidger, who at the time was the Dean of Social Work at the University of Regina. While Dreidger considered the writing project, it never came about. In 2019, Dreidger contacted Gruending to ask if he might want the documents as he was culling his files and was not sure what to do with them Gruending recognized the significance of telling the story of Frank Hadesbeck, who informed for the RCMP for 35 years, from 1941 through to 1976. Writing books is time consuming, particularly books that require a lot of additional research, as this one did. Since Hadesbeck was not a public figure, according to Gruending, it took a lot of research to fill in the gaps between the notes that Hadesbeck left. It was challenging. And according to Gruending, frustrating at times when Freedom of Information requests were stymied and unusually lengthy. Even after publication of the book, some FOI files have yet to arrive. It takes mettle to dig through these types of documents, then write about it, and also find a publishing house willing to print the story. I think it took grit and moxie on the part of the author, and an intrepid publishing collective like Between the Lines of Toronto, to ensure the telling of this story. The 35 pages of notes and index attest to the research and detailed sourcing that the manuscript required. Let’s face it — when dealing with security services you want to make sure that the record is clear, unquestionable, beyond reproach. Gruending’s sourcing is meticulous. We the readers benefit from the author’s stamina in telling this story. A Communist for the RCMP is engaging. Not only does author Gruending provide us with an inside look at what it takes to become an informant, but also how reporting between the informant and his RCMP handlers took place, public meetings attended, and who was surveilled. It also provides insight into Frank Hadesbeck the person — who he was, how he lived, and how he came to be an informant. Hadesbeck appears to have been a quiet and unassuming fellow, who at times formally joined organizations so that he would have more to report on... and at times made friends with those who he included in his reports. He was joined the Communist Party for a time, volunteered on local committees, and in so doing, gained access to membership lists and more. As Frank Hadesbeck’s life unfolds and covert activities are chronicled, A Communist for the RCMP provides a memorable walk through moments in Canadian and global history. From the settling of western Canada, the depression years on the prairies, through to the Spanish Civil War and the Mackenzie-Papineau Brigade, through to the Second World War, on to the formation of the CCF-NDP and the organizing that took place to create public health care in Saskatchewan, the founding of the National Farmers Union, and much more; readers are reminded of the key social movements that have led to better living conditions in Canada. The individuals Hadesbeck was ordered to report on had files opened by the RCMP without their knowledge, and without having committed any crime. This is a point that author Dennis Gruending emphasizes on many occasions throughout the book. The people Hadesbeck monitored for the RCMP were challenging the status quo, working to improve social conditions and in so doing exercising their democratic rights A Communist for the RCMP makes clear that Hadesbeck was part of a vast network of informants. The RCMP would provide their informants with names and photos and then ask, in this case, Hadesbeck to monitor the individual’s activities and report back. Reports were tagged with a descriptor – Hadesbeck’s was Secret Agent 810 or S.A. 810 – rather than a name so that informants could not be tracked by anyone. Gruending notes in the book’s preface, that between 1919 and 1979, the Canadian Security Service opened files on more than 800,000 individuals and organizations. “That,” states Gruending in the preface, “is an astonishing number more consistent with a police state than a mature democracy.” Gruending goes on to emphasize: “the Security Service betrayed Canadians by casting such a wide net in its surveillance and using that information against ordinary and well-intentioned people.” As Gruending states many of these organizations and individuals were community-minded and working to better the circumstances of their urban or rural or global communities. But Hadesbeck received orders to report on them. Some may have been leaders in their organizations, others were volunteering to help challenge inequities or improve social conditions. They were progressives who were advocating for much-needed improvements. Some of those individuals today are members of the Order of Canada, or celebrated for outstanding community and social service. These people were part of farmers’ movements, labour unions, environmental groups, the public health care movement, the peace movement, the women’s movement, academics and university students, Indigenous movements, human rights groups, and recognized political parties such as the CCF and later the NDP, especially the Waffle movement within the NDP, as well as the Communist party. Hadesbeck included names on what he called his “Watch Out lists.” Some of the names on his list include Tommy Douglas, a.k.a the father of Medicare and named ‘the Greatest Canadian,’ as well as farm leaders such as Roy Atkinson. In the end Hadesbeck’s “Watch Out list” runs to more than 2,000 pages. In a recent interview for this review, Gruending clarified just how long that list was. “If I had included all of the names in the book,” states Gruending, “my book would have looked more like a phone directory... the people the RCMP was interested in had done nothing wrong. They were exercising their rights as good citizens to engage in various organizations and in the democratic process.” How did being included in Hadesbeck’s surveillance reports impact lives and organizations? Hadesbeck’s reports would have been added to that provided by a wide net of informants. As Gruending notes at the Saskatoon launch of A Communist for the RCMP , people’s names were placed on lists for a reason. Security Services monitor people so that they can be targeted, identified and picked-up at will. In a final chapter titled “Suppressing Dissent ,” Gruending emphasizes that surveillance in Canada continues. The technology used to surveil has changed since Hadesbeck’s time, of course, but informants are still used alongside digital methods. These days Canadian security services surveil environmentalists and climate activists, those who campaign against the oil and gas industry and pipeline projects, or support the peace and anti-war movements, Indigenous land-defenders, among others. Asked what he hopes A Communist for the RCMP will achieve, Gruending responds: “By telling the story of Frank Hadesbeck in a detailed way, I have been able to show how the RCMP organized and executed its surveillance on Canadians for much of the 20th century. He was a low level RCMP informant, but there were undoubtedly many more like him in the towns, cities, mines, packing plants, and factories across Canada. And as I show in my last chapter, a close reading of the news and other sources indicates that the RCMP’s focus on communists in past decades has shifted to focus on environmentalists and Indigenous land defenders. The RCMP has traditionally been employed by the state to maintain the political and economic status quo. Those progressives who challenge that mandate can expect to be surveilled and harassed. It is important to blow the whistle on that.” Support rabble today! We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year. rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today. Nick Seebruch, editor Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet. Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today. 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Spending squeeze ‘could cost more than 10,000 Civil Service jobs’
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DJ Lagway threw two touchdown passes, Montrell Johnson ran for 127 yards and a score, and Florida upset No. 9 Mississippi 24-17 on Saturday to knock the Rebels out of College Football Playoff contention. The Gators (6-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference), who topped LSU last week, beat ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2008 and became bowl eligible. The late-season spurt provided another vote of confidence for coach Billy Napier, who is expected back for a fourth season. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3), which entered the day as a 10-point favorite, lost for the first time in four games and surely will drop out of the 12-team playoff picture. The Rebels ranked ninth in the latest CFP and needed only to avoid stumbling down the stretch against Florida and lowly Mississippi State to clinch a spot in the playoff field. But coach Lane Kiffin’s team failed to score in three trips inside the red zone and dropped countless passes in perfect weather. No. 2 OHIO ST. 38, No. 5 INDIANA 15 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. No. 8 GEORGIA 59, UMass 21 ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes, Nate Frazier ran for 136 yards with three scores and No. 8 Georgia overwhelmed Massachusetts as the Bulldogs tried to protect their College Football Playoff hopes. Georgia (9-2, No. 10 CFP) needed the big offense from Beck and Frazier to rescue a defense that gave up 226 rushing yards. UMass (2-9) played its first game under interim coach Shane Montgomery, the offensive coordinator who retained his play-calling duties after replacing fired coach Don Brown on Monday. Jalen John led the Minutemen with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Georgia extended its streak of consecutive home wins to 30, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No. 10 TENNESSEE 56, UTEP 0 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 10 Tennessee to a victory over UTEP. The Volunteers (9-2) overcame a sluggish start to roll up the impressive win. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but Tennessee found its rhythm. Grad student receiver Bru McCoy, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass this season, had two. Peyton Lewis also ran for two scores. Tennessee’s defensive line, which had no sacks in last week’s loss to Georgia, had three against the Miners. UTEP (2-9) struggled with two missed field goals and three turnovers. Tennessee’s offense came alive with 28 points in the second quarter. In the final four drives of the quarter, Iamaleava completed 11 of 12 passes for 146 yards and touchdowns to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis and McCoy. No. 11 MIAMI 42, WAKE FOREST 14 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cam Ward passed for 280 yards and threw two touchdowns to Jacolby George on another record-breaking day, Mishael Powell ran an interception back 76 yards for a touchdown and No. 11 Miami pulled away late to beat Wake Forest. The Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 8 College Football Playoff) can clinch a berth in the ACC title game with a win at Syracuse next weekend. Ward completed 27 of 38 passes, plus ran for a score. He broke two more single-season Miami records, both of which had been held for 40 years by Bernie Kosar — most passing yards in a season and most completions in a season. Ward now has 3,774 yards on 268 completions this season. Kosar threw for 3,642 yards on 262 completions in 1984. Demond Claiborne had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5). Claiborne also rushed for 62 yards for the Demon Deacons, and starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier was 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown. No. 13 SMU 33, VIRGINIA 7 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 13 SMU clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game by routing Virginia. Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks to help the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight. They would earn an automatic bid into the expanded College Football Playoff by beating 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. SMU had to get there first, and Jennings led the way again, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including TD tosses to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith provided a little balance on offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season. SMU’s defense overwhelmed UVa’s offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and allowing the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) just 173 yards. Special teams contributed, too, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards and Collin Rogers making two field goals. No. 24 ILLINOIS 38, RUTGERS 31 PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild victory over Rutgers. Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short. After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown. Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards.Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table