• Germany's center-right alliance looks set to win the country's latest federal election.
• The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, are set to win about 29% of the vote, exit polls say.
• The far-right Alternative for Germany party is set to take second place.

Germany's center-right alliance looks set to win the country's latest federal election, which comes at a critical moment for Europe's largest economy.

Early exit polls show the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, at about 29%, with the Elon Musk-backed Alternative for Germany in second at about 19.5%.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party is set to come in third, the polls showed.

Single parties rarely win majorities in German elections, so Friedrich Merz's CDU will need the support of one or more parties to secure a majority in government. His most likely options are the SDP and/or the Green Party.

The snap election followed the collapse of Germany's governing three-party coalition in November after Scholz fired then-Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the chair of the Free Democratic Party, after Lindner rejected Scholz's demand to suspend Germany's debt brake, which requires the federal government to limit annual net borrowing to 0.35% of GDP.

Scholz called a vote of confidence which he then lost in December, paving the way for early national elections.

The CDU/CSU bloc had been projected to win the vote, polling at around 30% in the run-up to the election.

The CDU's popularity seems to have been boosted by its harder line on major policy issues such as migration, pledging to enforce stricter border controls and accelerate asylum proceedings.

It also wants to retain Germany's debt brake, cut corporate tax rates to a maximum of 25%, and "eliminate unnecessary red tape."

The CDU has also pledged continued support to Ukraine.

The vote comes at a pivotal time for Berlin, which faces an increasingly assertive Trump administration that has threatened tariffs on the EU and looked to sideline Europe on negotiations with Russia over the Ukraine war.

Germany is a leading NATO member and a key provider of military aid to Ukraine — and it will play an important role in carving out Europe's future relations with the Trump administration.

After several historic regional election results and strong support from Musk, the AfD came into the elections in a jubilant mood.

Musk — who appeared virtually at a party campaign event alongside AfD leader Alice Weidel in January — has praised the group's staunchly anti-immigration stance.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk posted on X in December.

President Trump's firings of Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other top military leaders sends a "dangerous message" to service members about how the administration regards political loyalty, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday.

Why it matters: The controversial dismissals, which also hit Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, come as the U.S. stares down instability abroad and amid tensions with some international allies.

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had in the past questioned whether Brown — a four-star fighter pilot who served as the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman — was named to the post because of his race.
• Hegseth said in a Sunday interview with "Fox News Sunday" that while he has "a lot of respect" for Brown, he's "not the right man for the moment."
• Franchetti, whom CNN reports Hegseth once described as a "DEI hire," was the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations.

Driving the news: Democrats and some former military officials decried Trump's move to boot respected leaders, characterizing the decision as a signal from the administration that partisan loyalties outweighed expertise and experience.

• The Joint Chiefs chair "should be independent of politics," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press Sunday," noting Brown was "supported overwhelmingly" on both sides of the political aisle.
• But Trump, Booker said, "has thrown that out the window and is sending a dangerous message to the military: 'It's not about your independent expertise. It's not about your years of service. It's about your personal political loyalty to me.'"

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that the firings were "completely unjustified" and mark "the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military and politicization of the military."

• Reed highlighted Hegseth's decision to fire the top Army, Navy and Air Force lawyers — judge advocates general, commonly known as JAGs — saying, "If you're going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers."

The other side: Hegseth slammed Reed's criticism as "a total mischaracterization."

• He continued, "This is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."

Zoom in: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told ABC's Martha Raddatz in a Sunday interview that he doesn't know whether the firings were "about DEI," contending, "bottom line here to me is the Department of Defense needed a complete overhaul."

• Trump has for years railed against "woke" generals and "wokeness" he says weakened the military, such as through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) denied Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) contention that Trump may have fired Brown because he is Black, arguing to NBC's Kristen Welker Sunday that Clyburn "constantly pulls the race card out."
• "This had zero, absolutely zero to do with race," Mullin said.

Go deeper: Trump orders purge of military academy visitor boards

• The 2025 Independent Spirit Awards took place in Santa Monica on Saturday.
• "Anora" was the big winner in the film categories, taking home best feature.
• Meanwhile, Netflix's "Baby Reindeer" nabbed three acting prizes.

The 40th annual Independent Spirit Awards took place in Santa Monica on Saturday, with "Anora" dominating in the film categories and Netflix's "Baby Reindeer" also winning big.

Sean Baker's sex worker drama took home multiple awards, including best feature, best director, and best lead performance for star Mikey Madison.

Madison picked up the trophy fresh off of winning best actress at the BAFTAs last weekend. The film itself has been on a hot streak in the final leg of this year's award season, nabbing prizes at the Critics Choice, PGA, DGA, and WGA awards in recent weeks.

Madison beat out Demi Moore as well as some of the year's most acclaimed male performers, including Colman Domingo and Sebastian Stan.

In short, "Anora" has gained some major awards season momentum. Per Gold Derby's latest predictions, the Neon indie drama is now the frontrunner to win in the best film and best director categories at the Academy Awards next month.

Elsewhere in the film categories, Sean Wang's "Dìdi" won best first feature and best first screenplay, while Kieran Culkin continued his winning streak as he picked up best supporting performance for "A Real Pain," which also won best screenplay for director-writer Jesse Eisenberg.

In other categories, "Nickel Boys" nabbed the best cinematography prize, "September 5" won for best editing, and "No Other Land" scored the win for best documentary.

Over on the TV side, "Baby Reindeer" went home with multiple awards. The Netflix series won three acting prizes for cast members Richard Gadd, Nava Mau, and Jessica Gunning who won for lead, supporting, and breakthrough performance, respectively.

The award for best new scripted series went to FX's "Shōgun." Meanwhile, "Hollywood Black" took home the award for best new non-scripted series.

The Independent Spirit Awards aims to celebrate the best in independent film and television, offering a more irreverent take on the Oscars.

Joking at the ceremony, returning emcee Aidy Bryant called it "Hollywood's third or fourth biggest night."