The liberal organizing group Indivisible said Saturday it was calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to step down from his leadership role, the latest fallout after he backed a GOP bill to keep the government open.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz was set to make a last-ditch attempt on Friday to convince the Greens of his plans for a massive increase in state borrowing to bolster defence and infrastructure ahead of a parliamentary vote next week.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz reached an agreement with the Green party on a debt-funded spending package for defense and infrastructure, overcoming a key hurdle ahead of a crunch vote in parliament next week.

Merz, who aims to lead a government with the Social Democrats in the coming weeks, is in a rush to push through a big boost in spending on defence and creaking infrastructure. After winning elections last month,