ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff demands Facebook censor “disinformation”

Salesforce CEO, and Time Magazine owner, Marc Benioff has criticized Facebook allowing the spread of “disinformation” on its platforms.
In an <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/23/tech/facebook-benioff-disinformation/index.html">interview on CNN</a>, Benioff said: “This digital revolution really kind of has the world in its grip. And in that grip, you can see the amount of mistrust and misinformation that is happening.”
According to the tech billionaire, what he says is misinformation on social media is making it harder to solve climate change.
“Look at how it is affecting the world. You can talk about the political process. You can talk about climate. You can talk about the pandemic,” Benioff said. “In each and every major topic, it gets connected back to the mistrust that is happening and especially the amount of it being seeded by the social networks. It must stop now.”
Benioff singled out Facebook as the platform with the greatest misinformation problem. He has been one of Facebook’s most vocal critics and has previously called for the breaking up of the Zuckerberg empire, which is now worth approximately $1 trillion.
“Some of these social media companies, especially Facebook, you can see that they don’t really care that their platform is filled with all of this disinformation,” Benioff said.
He continued to suggest that Congress should do something to address the disinformation problem on Facebook.
<div class="dj46PJPC"><a href="https://www.infowarsstore.com/ultra-12-b12?ims=amgjg&utm_campaign=Ultra12hero&utm_source=Infowars+Hero&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=Ultra12hero" target="_blank"><img src="https://api.directus.libertycdn.com/uploads/_/originals/Ultra12-hero-385.jpg" /></a></div>
“I own Time and I am held accountable for what is produced on my platform,” Benioff said, adding that mainstream media outlets are also held accountable. “In regards to Facebook, they are not held accountable. So they do not have an incentive from the government. That has to change.”
 
 
source <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-demands-facebook-censor-disinformation">https://www.infowars.com/posts/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-demands-facebook-censor-disinformation</a>

news Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff demands Facebook censor “disinformation”

Salesforce CEO, and Time Magazine owner, Marc Benioff has criticized Facebook allowing the spread of “disinformation” on its platforms. In ...

NWO Takeover Meets Global Resistance As Humanity Finally Wakes Up To COVID Tyranny — Sunday Night Live

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://api-assets.infowars.com/2021/09/awakeningglobalsunrise20948290-.jpg" /></div>
On tonight’s Sunday Night Live broadcast, guest host Kristi Leigh breaks down how the subversive globalist takeover of nearly all aspects of our lives is hitting a fever pitch in countries like Australia, which provides a snapshot of the future for other nations to prepare for and resist.
The Big Tech purge is here! Follow <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/the-big-tech-crackdown-is-accelerating-follow-infowars-on-these-growing-alternative-platforms/">Infowars and Alex Jones on other growing platforms</a> now to stay informed as the information blackout accelerates.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/nwo-takeover-meets-global-resistance-as-humanity-finally-wakes-up-to-covid-tyranny-sunday-night-live">https://www.infowars.com/posts/nwo-takeover-meets-global-resistance-as-humanity-finally-wakes-up-to-covid-tyranny-sunday-night-live</a>

news NWO Takeover Meets Global Resistance As Humanity Finally Wakes Up To COVID Tyranny — Sunday Night Live

On tonight’s Sunday Night Live broadcast, guest host Kristi Leigh breaks down how the subversive globalist takeover of nearly all aspects ...

Congress’s hectic legislative schedule, briefly explained

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3tvA11d7HdzGhTRLDRI0qWIkHvU=/0x569:7930x4721/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22879735/1342301411.jpg" /></div>
On Monday, Democrats will start one of the most chaotic legislative sprints in recent memory. With a potential government shutdown looming, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/92521">said on Saturday</a> that three key bills, including President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/22577374/reconciliation-bill-biden-medicare-climate">$3.5 trillion reconciliation package</a>, “must pass” in the coming week.
That timeline means the next week could be make-or-break for Biden’s legislative agenda, but all three bills face a complicated road ahead in Congress.
“The next few days will be a time of intensity,” Pelosi said in a <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/92521">letter</a> to her caucus on Saturday. “We sent a CR to the Senate and are awaiting their action to avoid a shutdown. We must pass the BIF to avoid the expiration of the surface transportation funding on September 30. And we must stay on schedule to pass the reconciliation bill so that we can Build Back Better.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
PELOSI makes it official. Wants funding, infrastructure and reconciliation passed THIS WEEK.
Will make for one of the most intense weeks in congress. <a href="https://t.co/oPUX8Xc3LT">pic.twitter.com/oPUX8Xc3LT</a>
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1441859918001283079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
The proposed <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/22/dems-torn-between-debt-fight-with-gop-and-averting-shutdown-513641">continuing resolution</a>, or CR, would fund the government until December, heading off a shutdown in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Democrats have also attached a crucial measure to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/21/18233169/debt-ceiling-explained">increase the debt ceiling</a> to that resolution.
The bipartisan <a href="https://www.vox.com/22598883/infrastructure-deal-bipartisan-bill-biden-manchin">infrastructure bill</a>, or BIF, which passed the Senate last month with the support of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/10/politics/republican-senators-voted-infrastructure-bill/index.html">19 Republicans</a> and every Democrat, includes $550 billion in new spending and would direct much-needed funding to roads, public transit, rural broadband, and other areas. And a $3.5 trillion <a href="https://www.vox.com/22577374/reconciliation-bill-biden-medicare-climate">reconciliation package</a>, which Democrats have branded the Build Back Better Act, includes major parts of the Biden agenda that were dropped from the bipartisan deal. If passed in its proposed form, the bill would fund new social programs like universal pre-kindergarten, create green jobs to help combat climate change, and expand a child tax credit that has already <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/25/child-tax-credit-lifted-3-million-kids-from-poverty-in-july.html">lifted millions out of poverty</a>.
Even alone, though, each piece of legislation would face a number of hurdles getting through a closely divided Congress. Add to that an <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/24/gottheimer-house-dems-pelosi-deal-506819">intraparty schism</a> between the progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic Party over the ambitious reconciliation bill, as well as the tight deadline outlined by Pelosi on Saturday, and things look even more challenging.
Specifically, the closely linked bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation package have become intertwined in such a way that one may not be able to pass without the other, and the CR faces difficulties of its own in the Senate.
Among the most pressing issues facing Congress this week is the looming prospect of a partial government shutdown. With the federal fiscal year ending September 30, Congress has until then to pass the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/politics/senate-debt-ceiling-vote-continuing-resolution/index.html">continuing resolution</a> and prevent a third shutdown in as many years.
However, that could be particularly difficult to achieve this year. The CR that passed the House last week also includes a measure to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling ahead of a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/debt-limit-showdown-congress-looms-ahead-october-deadline-n1278700">separate October deadline</a> — something <s>which</s> Senate Republicans have refused to support, despite voting to raise the debt ceiling three times <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/20/white-house-debt-ceiling/">while former President Donald Trump was in office</a>.
If a resolution fails to pass in time and the government does partially shut down, the ramifications could be especially severe thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
“The worst time in the world we want to shut down the government is in the middle of a pandemic where we have 140,000 people a day getting infected and 2,000 people a day dying,” Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/23/fauci-says-this-is-worst-time-world-government-shutdown/">told the Washington Post last week</a>. “That’s the time when you want the government working full blast to address this.”
The approaching debt ceiling also raises the stakes of the coming week for congressional Democrats.
If the US fails to raise the debt ceiling, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039307253/congress-debt-limit-debt-ceiling-continuing-resolution-cr-shutdown">NPR reported last week</a>, the US could default on its debt, which would have a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/us-treasurys-yellen-debt-default-would-permanently-weaken-america-2021-09-19/">potentially seismic impact on the US economy</a>.
“We would emerge from this crisis a permanently weaker nation,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/congress-raise-debt-limit-ceiling-yellen-treasury-brinkmanship-federal-budget-11632069056">Wall Street Journal</a> op-ed earlier this month, noting that the US’s good reputation for paying its bills also has geopolitical significance.
Should the nation default when its cash reserves and borrowing capacity are exhausted in mid-October, borrowing would become more expensive — and that burden would fall on ordinary Americans, many of whom are already struggling due to the economic crisis brought on by Covid-19.
Experts have also warned that a US default could provoke a new financial crisis: The ensuing recession could see unemployment surge to 9 percent and as much as $15 trillion in household wealth wiped out, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/21/debt-ceiling-recession-/">according to the Washington Post</a>.
Despite the catastrophic implications of a potential US default, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has signaled that he intends to force Democrats to go it alone on the debt ceiling, even at the cost of precipitating a government shutdown by withholding support for the proposed funding resolution.
“We do not have divided government. Democrats do not need our help,” <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039307253/congress-debt-limit-debt-ceiling-continuing-resolution-cr-shutdown">he said</a> in a statement earlier this month. “They have every tool to address the debt limit on their own: the same party-line process they used to ram through inflationary spending in March and already plan to use again this fall.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
McConnell reiterates that GOP senators oppose extending the debt limit if Democrats "go it alone" on the multi-trillion-dollar bill. "They will not get Senate Republicans' help with raising the debt limit."
"We do not have divided government. Democrats do not need our help."
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) <a href="https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1440037817061576705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
While that’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/20/congress-shutdown-debt-ceiling-biden/">technically</a> true — Democrats could use the same reconciliation process they’re pursuing to pass the $3.5 trillion spending bill in order to pass the CR with only Democratic votes — a key Democratic House member has already indicated that that option may be off the table.
<a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1440748855478272003?s=20">According to Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman</a>, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), the chair of the House Budget Committee, said last week that “his staff has come to the conclusion there is not enough time to alter the reconciliation bill OR write a stand alone bill to lift the debt ceiling.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: House Budget Chair <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJohnYarmuth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJohnYarmuth</a> told me and <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mkraju</a> his staff has come to the conclusion there is not enough time to alter the reconciliation bill OR write a stand alone bill to lift the debt ceiling
This could complicate next month as we inch closer to deadline
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1440748855478272003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
That means the current CR, which has already passed the House, could be the only viable mechanism to both fund the government and avert a debt ceiling crisis before the deadline.
Still, McConnell appears <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/573068-mcconnell-says-senate-gop-will-oppose-combined-debt-ceiling-funding-bill">poised to block any CR</a> that also includes an increase to the debt ceiling, though he has said his conference would support a “clean continuing resolution” without the debt ceiling. That alternative still leaves Democrats with the question of what to do about the debt ceiling increase, however, considering Yarmuth’s position that it may now be too late to pass it through other avenues, and that could make for a uncertain week on Capitol Hill.
Nonetheless, Pelosi has signaled that the CR will get done in time. “Whatever it is, we will have a CR that passes both houses by Sept. 30,” <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/573622-pelosi-vows-to-avert-government-shutdown">she said at a press conference Thursday</a>.
In addition to the complications posed by McConnell’s stance on the debt ceiling, Democrats are facing an intraparty struggle over the linked bipartisan infrastructure bill and the proposed reconciliation package that could make the coming week particularly difficult.
In the Senate, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) have both balked at the $3.5 trillion figure, with Manchin saying unequivocally in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchin-pelosi-biden-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-government-spending-debt-deficit-inflation-11630605657">Wall Street Journal editorial</a> earlier this month that he wouldn’t vote for a bill with that price tag.
All 50 Democratic votes in the Senate are needed to pass the reconciliation measure, however, making their support critical.
For her part, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/kyrsten-sinema-infrastructure-deal-price-tag/index.html">Sinema</a> made her opposition known <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/07/28/arizona-sen-kyrsten-sinema-wont-back-democrats-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-bill/5402193001/">in July</a>, but indicated then that she was open to negotiations. In recent weeks, Sinema has met with Biden to discuss the bill — and signaled that her <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/09/20/scoop-sinema-issues-ultimatum-to-biden-494397">continued support for reconciliation</a> depends on the House’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Monday.
Sinema’s position puts congressional Democrats in a distinct bind, since progressives in the House say they will not support the infrastructure bill until Congress moves forward with the larger, more progressive reconciliation bill as well, and Pelosi is working with an exceedingly narrow Democratic margin in the House.
That means the votes to pass the bipartisan deal might not be there if the reconciliation bill doesn’t come along with it — or at least that’s what House progressives are betting. Progressive leaders, such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, are hoping to use their support for the bipartisan deal as leverage to keep the more ambitious reconciliation bill moving along as well.
As of Sunday, it’s unclear exactly when the House will vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package. Jayapal has <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyRomm/status/1442113375400599554?s=20">said</a> she does not believe there will be a vote Monday, and Pelosi declined to offer a specific day in a Sunday interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, saying that “we’re going to pass the bill this week.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jayapal: "I don't believe there is going to be a vote" tomorrow on infrastructure in the House. (Everyone agrees with this but remember the goal was to consider, not vote, starting tmw.)
— Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyRomm/status/1442113375400599554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
“A deal’s a deal,” Jayapal <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1442202311640502273?s=20">tweeted on Sunday</a>. “We don’t pass the infrastructure bill without passing the Build Back Better Act, investing in child care, climate action, paid leave, housing, health care, education, and a roadmap to citizenship.”
<div class="c-article-footer">
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
<a href="http://vox.com/pages/support-now?itm_campaign=fall2021&itm_medium=article&itm_source=article-footer">We have a request</a>
In moments like this — as people grapple to understand variants and vaccines, and kids head back to school — many outlets take their paywalls down. Vox’s content is always free, in part because of financial support from our readers. We’ve been covering the Covid-19 pandemic for more than a year and a half. From the beginning, our goal was to bring clarity to chaos. To empower people with the information they needed to stay safe. And we’re not stopping.
To our delight, you, our readers, helped us hit our goal of adding 2,500 financial contributions in September in just 9 days. So we’re setting a new goal: to add 4,500 contributions by the end of the month. Reader support helps keep our coverage free, and is a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work. <a href="http://vox.com/pages/support-now?itm_campaign=fall2021&itm_medium=article&itm_source=article-footer">Will you help us reach our goal by making a contribution to Vox with as little as $3?</a>
</div>
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/9/26/22694549/congress-reconciliation-infrastructure-debt-ceiling-explained">https://www.vox.com/2021/9/26/22694549/congress-reconciliation-infrastructure-debt-ceiling-explained</a>

vox Congress’s hectic legislative schedule, briefly explained

On Monday, Democrats will start one of the most chaotic legislative sprints in recent memory. With a potential government shutdown looming,...

5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Philippines' Manila

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Philippines' Manila" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2017-09/earthquake-generic_650x400_71505899871.jpg" title="5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Philippines' Manila" /></div>
Philippines' main island was hit by a strong earthquake on Monday.
</div>
Manila, Philippines:
A strong earthquake hit off the Philippines' main island Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage, the US Geological Survey and local officials said.
The deep 5.7-magnitude quake struck off Batangas province on Luzon island at 1:12 am (1712  GMT), with residents in the nearby capital of Manila woken by their buildings shaking.
The quake was recorded at a depth of 98 kilometres (60 miles), the USGS said. The local seismological agency warned of damage and aftershocks.
Deep quakes tend to do less damage than shallow tremors.
But authorities near the epicentre said they had not received any reports of damage.
"It was really strong," Jose Clyde Yayong, a disaster officer in Tagaytay city in the neighbouring province of Cavite.
"So far there are no untoward incidents relating to the earthquake."
Leonardo Tristan, a disaster officer in Looc town on Occidental Mindoro island, said the force of the quake sent some residents rushing outside.
"My wife was shouting 'there's an earthquake!" Tristan told AFP.
The Philippines is regularly rocked by quakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/philippines-earthquake-today-5-7-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-philippines-manila-2554790">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/philippines-earthquake-today-5-7-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-philippines-manila-2554790</a>

news world 5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Philippines' Manila

Philippines' main island was hit by a strong earthquake on Monday. Manila, Philippines: A strong earthquake hit off the Philippines...

Olaf Scholz: "Robotic" Social Democrat Within Grasp Of Angela Merkel's Job

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Olaf Scholz: 'Robotic' Social Democrat Within Grasp Of Angela Merkel's Job" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-09/g5ap7acs_olaf-scholz-reuters_625x300_27_September_21.jpg" title="Olaf Scholz: 'Robotic' Social Democrat Within Grasp Of Angela Merkel's Job" /></div>
Olaf Scholz is one of the top probables for Geman Chancellor's post.
</div>
Berlin, Germany:
Olaf Scholz, the centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) candidate to succeed Angela Merkel, is often described as boring, but could be on the verge of a sensational upset after Sunday's election.
With polls showing the SPD narrowly ahead of Angela Merkel's CDU-CSU conservative alliance, Scholz may have achieved something many would have thought impossible just a year ago.
His SPD scored just 20.5 percent in Germany's last election in 2017 and has had a difficult few years in coalition with the CDU-CSU, but looks on course to win at least 25 percent of the vote this time.
"It's going to be a long election night, that's for sure," Scholz said after the first estimates were released.
"But this is certain: that many citizens have put their crosses next to the SPD because they want there to be a change in government and also because they want the next chancellor to be called Olaf Scholz."
Nicknamed "Scholzomat" for his robotic speeches, Scholz is one of Germany's most influential politicians, with a reputation for being meticulous, confident and fiercely ambitious.
- Channelling Merkel -
As finance minister and vice-chancellor under Merkel, he enjoys a close relationship with the chancellor and has even sought to position himself as the true Merkel continuity candidate, despite hailing from a different party.
He was pictured recently on the cover of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung magazine adopting Merkel's famous "rhombus" hand gesture -- a stunt that provoked consternation from rivals in Merkel's CDU camp.
During his time as finance minister, Scholz has cemented his reputation for being on the fiscally conservative side of his workers' party.
Despite agreeing to suspend Germany's cherished "debt brake" to stave off the crippling effects of the coronavirus pandemic, he has insisted on a return to the policy by 2023.
"All this is expensive, but doing nothing would have been even more expensive," he said at the time.
Scholz's cautious approach has at times seen him marginalised within the SPD, overlooked in a leadership vote in 2019 in favour of two relatively unknown left-wingers.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/olaf-scholz-of-germany-robotic-social-democrat-within-grasp-of-angela-merkels-job-2554787">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/olaf-scholz-of-germany-robotic-social-democrat-within-grasp-of-angela-merkels-job-2554787</a>

news world Olaf Scholz: "Robotic" Social Democrat Within Grasp Of Angela Merkel's Job

Olaf Scholz is one of the top probables for Geman Chancellor's post. Berlin, Germany: Olaf Scholz, the centre-left Social Democrat ...

Angela Merkel's Party Narrowly Loses To Rivals In Germany Election

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Angela Merkel's Party Narrowly Loses To Rivals In Germany Election" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-08/h708o97k_angela-merkel-germanyafp650_625x300_25_August_21.jpg" title="Angela Merkel's Party Narrowly Loses To Rivals In Germany Election" /></div>
The result marks an end of 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel.
</div>
Germany's Social Democrats narrowly won Sunday's national election, projected results showed, and claimed a "clear mandate" to lead a government for the first time since 2005 and to end 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel.
The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) were on track for 26.0% of the vote, ahead of 24.5% for Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative bloc, projections for broadcaster ZDF showed, but both groups believed they could lead the next government.
With neither major bloc commanding a majority, and both reluctant to repeat their awkward "grand coalition" of the past four years, the most likely outcome is a three-way alliance led by either the Social Democrats or Merkel's conservatives.
Agreeing a new coalition could take months, and will likely involve the smaller Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).
"We are ahead in all the surveys now," the Social Democrats' chancellor candidate, Olaf Scholz, said in a round table discussion with other candidates after the vote.
"It is an encouraging message and a clear mandate to make sure that we get a good, pragmatic government for Germany," he added after earlier addressing jubilant SPD supporters.
The SPD's rise heralds a swing left for Germany and marks a remarkable comeback for the party, which has recovered some 10 points in support in just three months to improve on its 20.5% result in the 2017 national election.
Scholz, 63, would become the fourth post-war SPD chancellor after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroeder. Finance minister in Merkel's cabinet, he is a former mayor of Hamburg.
Scholz's conservative rival Armin Laschet, signalled his bloc was not ready yet to concede, though his supporters were subdued.
"It hasn't always been the the first-placed party that provided the chancellor," Laschet, 60, told the round table. "I want a government where every partner is involved, where everyone is visible - not one where only the chancellor gets to shine," he said in an early attempt to woo smaller parties.
Schmidt ruled in the late 1970s and early 1980s in coalition with the FDP even though his Social Democrats had fewer parliamentary seats than the conservative bloc.
Coalition For Christmas?
Attention will now shift to informal discussions followed by more formal coalition negotiation, which could take months, leaving Merkel in charge in a caretaker role.
Scholz and Laschet both said they would aim to strike a coalition deal before Christmas.
Merkel plans to step down after the election, making the vote an era-changing event https://reut.rs/3hfDamG to set the future course of Europe's largest economy.
She has stood large on the European stage almost since taking office in 2005 - when George W. Bush was U.S. president, Jacques Chirac in the Elysee Palace in Paris and Tony Blair British prime minister.
After a domestic-focused election campaign, Berlin's allies in Europe and beyond may have to wait for months before they can see whether the new German government is ready to engage on foreign issues to the extent they would like.
A row between Washington and Paris over a deal for Australia to buy U.S. instead of French submarines has put Germany in an awkward spot between allies, but also gives Berlin the chance to help heal relations and rethink their common stance on China.
On economic policy, French President Emmanuel Macron is eager to forge a common European fiscal policy, which the Greens support but the CDU/CSU and FDP reject. The Greens also want "a massive expansion offensive for renewables https://reut.rs/2T1UKS3".
"Germany will end up with a rather weak chancellor who will struggle to get behind any kind of ambitious fiscal reform at the EU level," said Naz Masraff at political risk consultancy Eurasia.
Whatever coalition ends up in power, Germany's friends can at least take heart that moderate centrism has prevailed, and the populism that has taken hold in other European countries failed to break through.
The projected results for ZDF showed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on track for 10.5%, worse than four years ago when they came into the national parliament with 12.6% of the vote, and with all mainstream groupings ruling out a coalition with the party.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/germany-election-result-angela-merkels-conservatives-narrowly-loses-to-rivals-social-democrats-spd-2554786">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/germany-election-result-angela-merkels-conservatives-narrowly-loses-to-rivals-social-democrats-spd-2554786</a>

news world Angela Merkel's Party Narrowly Loses To Rivals In Germany Election

The result marks an end of 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel. Germany's Social Democrats narrowly won Sunday...