Who will succeed Merkel?

Early election results Sunday suggest that the liberal Social Democratic Party, out of power in Germany for 16 years, will prevail in the election to choose who controls the government.

ccording to The New York Times, if their lead holds up, Olaf Scholz will become the next chancellor, replacing Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democratic Union. She’s served as the nation’s chief executive since 2005.

Issues for Germany during her tenure include a crisis over immigration from Muslim countries, improved relations with the United States and coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

Three killed in Amtrak derailing

The derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana killed three people and injured five others Saturday afternoon.

According to United Press International, the mishap took place on the route between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, near Joplin, Montana where eight cars went off the rails.

The 10-car train had 141 passengers and 16 crew members.

Also in the News

• Voters in Switzerland voted on Sunday to legalize civil marriage and the right to adopt children for same sex marriages. According to Reuters.com, the vote was 64.1 percent in favor.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) is promising that Democrats will pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill this week and then turn to the proposed $3.5 trillion social safety/climate change bill later, according to The New York Times. The Senate has already passed the infrastructure bill.

Sports:  Rams, Chargers post big wins

Are the Los Angeles Rams the best team in the National Football League?

You could make a pretty good argument in favor of that idea after the Rams’ 34-24 win over the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Matthew Stafford passed for 343 yards and four touchdowns as the team improved to 3-0. Tampa Bay went to 2-1. Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 95 yards and two TDs, and DeSean Jackson had three receptions for 120 yards and two scores.

Tom Brady threw for 432 yards and one touchdown and ran for another for the Buccs. The LAR never trailed in the game and led by 17 points twice.

Justin Herbert’s touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 32 seconds remaining in the game gave the Los Angeles Chargers (3-0) a dramatic 30-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) on Sunday.

The Chargers opened up a 14-0 lead before the Chiefs, behind Patrick Mahomes, roared back. Herbert finished with 281 yards passing on 26-of-38 passing with four touchdowns. Mahomes was 27-of-44 for 260 yards and three scores. He was intercepted twice.

 The AP College Football Top 25 released today (Sunday) has Alabama (4-0) again on top, followed in the first five by Georgia (4-0), Oregon (4-0), Penn State (4-0) and Iowa (4-0). UCLA (3-1) moved up from 24th to 20th.

On Monday, The Los Angeles Dodgers (100-56) continued their quest for the National League West flag with a 3-0 win over San Diego. However, the San Francisco Giants (102-54) also won, defeating Colorado 6-2 and remain the leader by a two-game margin. The Los Angeles Angels (74-82) lost 5-1 to the Seattle Mariners. It was their seventh loss in eight games.  They  will be idle Monday and start the final series of the season Tuesday on the road against the Texas Rangers.

Weather: Still playing it cool

It’s definitely fall … just pull on your sweater. This autumnal weather in the West Orange County area will last until Thursday. Monday’s daytime high will be 75 (with an overnight low of 63) under partly cloudy skies. Temps will rise slowly Tuesday (76) and Wednesday (78) and then leap to 90 on Thursday. In coastal Huntington Beach, daily highs should be five to six degrees cooler.