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These 3 tweaks will simplify your money. Because life is complicated enough

Streamline your money life with a few easy changes and mindset tweaks. Life is difficult enough right now.




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How health savings accounts have adjusted for the coronavirus pandemic

Health savings accounts, or HSAs, will cover Covid-19-related testing and treatment, among other things.




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Overeating, boredom, self-medication: How grocery bills skyrocket even as food becomes scarcer

Eating more healthy food? More junk food? Nearly everyone's eating and shopping habits are feeling the fallout of the pandemic — and boredom and anxiety are driving plenty of change.




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Here are options for easing Medicare costs if your income has dropped

More than a third of Medicare beneficiaries say their income has dropped due to the coronavirus crisis, a recent survey shows. Here are ways that those affected may be able to reduce their health care costs.




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Here's what you need to know about rent relief during the pandemic

Many renters across the U.S. don't have to worry about being evicted during the pandemic. Yet they can find themselves in a lot of trouble when the relief expires.




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He's an American but his wife is not. He's not getting a stimulus check

With many Americans still counting the days until they get their $1,200 checks, some are in for a surprise. If you're American, but your spouse is not, you may not be qualified. Now, some groups are suing the government over the issue.




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Colleges consider a tuition freeze amid pandemic

A growing number of schools are freezing tuition in hopes of attracting more students and families now struggling with the weight of a college tab.




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Federal business disaster loans now capped at $150,000 and limited to agriculture

The Small Business Administration has sharply curtailed the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, limiting new applicants to only agricultural businesses and capping max loan amounts at $150,000, down from $2 million, according to reports.




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Stay on evictions in New York will continue through August, Gov. Cuomo says

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the moratorium on evictions through August. The state has been the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.




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Designer Rebecca Minkoff's advice for small businesses trying to survive the coronavirus pandemic

As co-founder and creative director of her own fashion line, Rebecca Minkoff understands the current struggles small-business owners are now facing — especially women. Here's her advice on how to survive.




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Families of dead Covid-19 victims may have to give back stimulus checks

New guidance from the IRS makes it clear that stimulus checks cut to deceased people must be returned. But what about those who die from the coronavirus? That depends on the timing of the deaths and receipt of the checks.







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Former trade official: Rising US-China tensions 'start of a new cold war'

Clete Willems, Former NEC deputy director, says China and the U.S. are engaged in the start of a new cold war. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Steve Grasso and Karen Finerman.




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Trader says 'no guidance, no problem' for this medical device company—Here's why

Is Abbott Labs a buy? With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Pete Najarian and Steve Grasso.




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As markets rally, technician says the charts suggest more gains ahead

Strategas' Chris Verrone on where the markets are headed from here. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Karen Finerman and Dan Nathan.




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Sotheby's CEO on how the company shifted focus during Covid-19 pandemic

Charles Stewart, Sotheby's CEO, on how the company has shifted business during the pandemic. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Karen Finerman and Dan Nathan.




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Historic job losses, and stocks rally

Stocks were up today despite a record drop in payrolls. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Brian Kelly and Jeff Mills.




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Is the magic back? Disney pops as park sets to reopen

Disney Shanghai sells out ahead of Monday's reopening. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Guy Adami, Tim Seymour, Brian Kelly and Jeff Mills.




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Royals and politicians observe two-minute silence to mark 75th VE Day anniversary - video

Britain observed a two-minute silence on Friday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of the second world war. Charles, the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall led the ceremony from Balmoral in Scotland. Political leaders also paid silent tribute at 11am along with the rest of the nation. Nazi commanders surrendered to allied forces in a French schoolhouse 75 years ago to the day.

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Brawl erupts between Hong Kong politicians in fight for chair - video

The legislative council descended into chaos for more than an hour on Friday as opposing lawmakers threw placards and scrambling over each other to take control of a house committee. Politicians rushed to take the seat left empty after the house was unable to elect a new chairperson. The incumbent, Starry Lee, reached the seat first as pro-Beijing and pro-democracy members crowded in

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'There is a path out': WHO's Dr Michael Ryan warns nations to stay vigilant – video

Dr Michael Ryan, the director of the WHO health emergencies programme, has said there is a way out of the Covid-19 pandemic for communities, adding that 'a careful and measured return' to workplaces and schools with the right precautions could work, but that concerts and other mass gatherings were much more difficult.

He predicted a significant change to lifestyles until a vaccine or effective treatments were found.

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Coronavirus news Australia: evacuation flights for stranded citizens in India as some states ease Covid-19 restrictions – as it happened

The Australian government has arranged four additional Qantas flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in the coming fortnight. This blog has now closed

To recap, this afternoon there were 6,929 Covid-19 cases in Australia, with the death toll at 97.

There had been 16 new cases in the last 24 hours, four of which were related to the Cedar Meats cluster in Victoria.

Related: Coronavirus Australia latest: at a glance

There are just two people in South Australia considered to be active cases of Covid-19.

No further cases were recorded when the state health department released updated statistics on Saturday, with South Australia’s total tally remaining at 439.

We want people to get out and explore our fabulous regions. It is safe for regional travel in South Australia.

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From rubbish to rice: the cafe that gives food in exchange for plastic

The Garbage Cafe in Ambikapur, India, is helping to tackle the country’s plastic waste problem – and their novel idea is catching on

On bad days, when his employer made some excuse for not paying him his paltry daily wage, Ram Yadav’s main meal used to be dry chapatis, with salt and raw onion for flavour. Sometimes he just went hungry. For a ragpicker like him, one of the thousands of Indians who make a living bringing in plastic waste for recycling, eating in a cafe or restaurant was the stuff of fairytales.

But last week, Yadav was sitting at a table at the Garbage Cafe in Ambikapur, in the state of Chhattisgarh, over a piping hot meal of dal, aloo gobi, poppadoms and rice. He earned the food in exchange for bringing in 1kg of plastic waste. “The hot meal I get here lasts me all day. And it feels good to sit at a table like everyone else,” he said.

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'A blessed initiative': secular Israel rejoices over Sabbath buses

Minibuses that run on Friday evenings and Saturdays buck state’s religious restrictions

Tel Aviv is one of Israel’s most dynamic cities, but the latest local craze could appear fairly humdrum to outsiders – a bus service that runs at weekends.

Packed 19-seat minibuses fill up fast with passengers, who excitedly gossip about the new routes. People patiently queue at bus stops, knowing they might have to wait for two or three buses to pass before there is a space. Still, they are upbeat. “It’s a pleasure,” said Ben Uzan, a 30-year-old electronic engineer. “It’s a blessed initiative.”

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'Bring our people home': the bold new plan for an Indigenous-led district in Canada

The Senakw development aims to ease the city’s chronic housing crisis – and to challenge the mindset that indigeneity and urbanity are incompatible

The scrubby, vacant patch beneath the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver looks at first glance like a typical example of the type of derelict nook common to all cities: 11.7 acres of former railway lands, over which tens of thousands of people drive every day.

This is not any old swath of underused space, however. It’s one of Canada’s smallest First Nations reserves, where dozens of Squamish families once lived. The village was destroyed by provincial authorities more than a century ago.

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The US recovery from the pandemic lags way behind Europe – even as states reopen

While countries such as Spain and Italy that are lifting restrictions have forced the trend of infections down, in the US cases are rising

The US may be moving to loosen social distancing restrictions around the same time as several European countries but it remains in a far different, and worse, stage of the coronavirus pandemic.

While infections and deaths from Covid-19 quickly raced to terrifying peaks in Italy and Spain, both countries have managed to arrest the increase and are now forcing the key trends downwards.

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Trump 'very confident' of Covid-19 vaccine in 2020 and predicts up to 100,000 US deaths

US president again criticises Beijing as European countries prepare to ease lockdown

Donald Trump has said he is “very confident” there will be a vaccine for coronavirus by the end of the year, revising up his estimate of the final US death toll as several European countries prepare for a cautious easing of lockdowns.

The president used a Fox News “virtual town hall” on Sunday night to repeat his regular virus talking points, including that a vaccine was not far away, Covid-19 was China’s fault and the economy would not only recover but “grow like crazy”.

Related: Mike Pompeo: 'enormous evidence' coronavirus came from Chinese lab

Global coronavirus cases have surpassed 3.5 million with more than 247,000 deaths.

In New York, the centre of the US outbreak, an emergency field hospital erected in Central Park is set to close. Dozens of New Yorkers were fined for violating social distancing guidelines as they flocked to beaches and parks in balmy weekend weather.

China reported three new coronavirus cases, versus two the day before.

Japan’s state of emergency is expected to be extended until the end of the month.

France will not quarantine anyone arriving from the EU, the Schengen area or Britain due to the coronavirus.

New Zealand has reported no new coronavirus cases for the first time.

South Korea plans to ease a ban on some gatherings and events as long as they “follow disinfection measures”.

Brazil has become the first country in Latin America to report more than 100,000 cases.

The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, announced mosques will reopen across large parts of the Islamic republic after they were closed in early March.

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VE Day: Churchill feared De Gaulle would declare victory early

War cabinet papers reveal PM’s concern French ally would pre-empt joint announcement

Winston Churchill believed a disgruntled general Charles de Gaulle intended to pre-empt the allies’ announcement of victory in Europe by 24 hours but felt unable to pressure him to change his plans, according to British war cabinet documents released free online by the National Archives during the lockdown.

The 75th anniversary of VE Day will be celebrated on Friday 8 May but Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander in north-west Europe, and the Soviet high command had actually received the German surrender in the French city of Reims on 7 May 1945 at 2.41am.

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Leaders mark heroics of war generation in shadow of pandemic

Quiet commemorations held to mark 75 years since end of war on continent

Seventy-five years ago crowds massed in the streets of Europe, singing and dancing as their leaders announced the end of six years of bloody war. On Friday, the streets were empty, and leaders stood alone in silence at places of commemoration, as a continent marked the heroics of the war generation in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

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'This is so wrong': Hollande highlights domestic violence in French lockdown

Ex-president backs new app for victims as WHO reports 60% rise in domestic abuse calls

The former French president François Hollande has spoken of his concern for women suffering domestic abuse during the lockdown.

In an interview with the Guardian, Hollande called for schoolchildren to be taught that violence at home was unacceptable but that it affected every social group.

Related: Protecting domestic violence victims in lockdown

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

USB-C, faster processors and new design options continue to keep Microsoft’s Windows 10 laptop near the top of the pile

Microsoft’s top-quality laptop is now in its third generation, with new ports, new processors and a slight redesign, with the option to ditch the unique Alcantara for plain old aluminium.

The £999 and up Surface Laptop 3 is Microsoft’s vision of what a traditional laptop should be. For the most part that’s the same as everyone else, with traditional aluminium body, glass-covered screen and hinge that does not rotate all the way round to the back.

Screen: 13.5in LCD 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI)

Processor: quad-core Intel Core i5 or i7 (10th generation)

RAM: 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB

Graphics: Intel Iris Plus

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 720P front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: wifi 6 (ax), Bluetooth 5, USB-A, USB-C, headphones, Surface Connect TPM

Dimensions: 308.1 x 223.3 x 14.5mm

Weight: 1,265 or 1,288g

Due to the angle of the side of the machine it can be difficult to plug the magnetic power cable in without lifting the side up for more leverage.

The black paint can be scratched revealing the silver aluminium underneath.

The screen supports 10-point touch and Microsoft’s Surface Pen stylus.

Pros: great keyboard, good trackpad, Alcantara or aluminium, sleek design, USB-A and USB-C port, great screen, good battery life, Windows Hello, powerful processor.

Cons: no SD card reader, limited configuration options, no Thunderbolt 3, only one USB-C port.

Surface Laptop 2 review: Microsoft’s sleeker answer to the MacBook Air

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: a fantastic tablet PC you shouldn’t buy

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

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For all the brave words, Jupiter's move is essentially defensive | Patrick Collinson

The UK’s fund management industry is losing the war against index tracking

What’s gone wrong with Britain’s fund management industry? Over the past year share prices have soared globally, which usually translates into boom times for asset managers, whose income is based on a percentage cut from the total amount of money under management. Yet the UK’s industry is beset with scandals and sliding fortunes among some of the once most-revered names.

Jupiter is attempting to arrest its decline with a £370m takeover of Merian (once Old Mutual’s investment arm), creating a £65bn group that boss and serial deal maker Andrew Formica promises investors will be “highly earnings accretive”.

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Xbox Series X console features 12 teraflops graphics processor

Microsoft confirms key specs of games console plus new ‘Smart Delivery’ feature allowing one-size-fits-all game purchases

Microsoft has confirmed that its next games console, the Xbox Series X, will feature a 12 teraflops graphics processor, eight times more powerful than the Xbox One graphics chipset.

The announcement, made by the Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, via Microsoft’s Wire news site, confirmed recent rumours about the machine, which is launching this winter.

Related: Follow your Dreams: how the future of playing video games is making them

Related: Xbox chief: 'We discussed whether we should even do another console'

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Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook advise employees to work from home

Announcements made following coronavirus guidance from Washington state officials instructing workplaces to allow employees to work remotely

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across Washington state, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook have advised their Seattle-area employees to work from home for the next few weeks.

Related: Coronavirus: Google leads tech charge to work from home

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Microsoft Surface Pro X review: not yet ready for prime time

Long battery life, 4G and beautiful design can’t stop it being held back by a lack of apps for its ARM chip

The Surface Pro X is a glimpse of an ARM-powered Windows future, combining the best bits of phones and computers, but while that future is closer than ever, it isn’t quite ready yet.

The new £999 Surface Pro X might look like the rest of Microsoft’s Surface tablets on the outside, but it is fundamentally a different beast on the inside.

Screen: 13in LCD 2880x1920 (267 PPI)

Processor: Microsoft SQ1 (ARM)

RAM: 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256 and 512GB

Graphics: Adreno 685

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 10MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: Wifi ac, Bluetooth 5, 2x USB-C, Surface Connect, LTE, nano sim, esim

Dimensions: 287 x 208 x 7.3mm

Weight: 774g

The screen is far too dim on resuming from sleep until you hit the brightness button, at which point it returns to normal

The machine ran cool throughout, barely getting warmer than room temperature even when pushed hard

There’s no real mis-touch rejection at the edges of the screen, which means you have to be careful where you put your fingers when holding the tablet

Pros: slim, great 13in screen, 4G, kickstand, nine-hour battery, 2x USB-C, quick charging, Windows Hello, brilliant keyboard (essential additional purchase), smart stylus holder, Windows 10

Cons: not much ARM-native software, no good photo editors, no SD card reader, no headphone socket, no Thunderbolt 3, keyboard not included

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: a fantastic tablet PC you shouldn’t buy

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

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Coronavirus divides tech workers into the 'worthy' and 'unworthy' sick

Campuses have become ‘ghost towns’ as staffers depart – but many contractors still have to show up

When Josh Borden arrived for work at the Google offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, it felt like arriving in a “ghost town”. The parking lot was deserted, there was no breakfast being served in the cafeteria, and the nap rooms were tagged with signs announcing their closure “as a precaution given the Covid-19 situation”. “The office is so empty,” he told me. “Even more so than when the Googlers have their ski trip.”

The day before, Google had asked all its North American employees to begin working from home due to the coronavirus – a policy that has since been expanded to the rest of its global workforce. But Borden, a triage analyst who has worked for Google for about four years, is one of the approximately 135,000 people who make up Google’s “extended workforce”: temps and subcontractors who perform work for, but are not technically employed by, the $830bn company. And though Borden and his co-workers perform computer-based tasks that could just as easily be completed from home as those of other technical workers, Google does not allow them to access their work from home.

Related: Mike Bloomberg’s campaign is polluting the internet | Julia Carrie Wong

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Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review: the best Windows 10 tablet PC you can buy

USB-C completes top Windows 10 tablet with great screen, design and kickstand, plus latest Intel chips

The Surface Pro 7 is an update of the excellent Surface Pro 6 with new processors and, finally, a USB-C port.

That means the design of the new Surface Pro 7 hasn’t changed since the 2017 Surface Pro 5, with Microsoft taking an “if it ain’t broke” approach. It’s competitively priced at £699 and up – but you have to pay at least £125 for the keyboard if you want one – which annoyingly is not included in the standard price.

Screen: 12.3in LCD 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI)

Processor: Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 (10th generation)

RAM: 4, 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB

Graphics: Intel UHD (i3) or Intel Iris Plus (i5/i7)

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB 3.0, USB-C, headphones, TPM, microSD

Dimensions: 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm

Weight: 775 or 790g (i7 version)

The Surface Pro 7 ships with a standard version of Windows 10 Home with device encryption

The tablet no longer supports on-screen interaction with Microsoft’s Surface Dial accessory

Pros: great screen, good battery life, brilliant keyboard (essential additional purchase), microSD card reader, excellent kickstand, Windows Hello, solid build, easy to carry, USB-A and USB-C

Cons: no Thunderbolt 3, fairly expensive, keyboard should be included, Core i7 version fans are more audible

Microsoft Surface Pro X review: not yet ready for prime time

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

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America's billionaires are giving to charity – but much of it is self-serving rubbish | Robert Reich

Well-publicized philanthropy shows how afraid the super-rich are of a larger social safety net – and higher taxes

As millions of jobless Americans line up for food or risk their lives delivering essential services, the nation’s billionaires are making conspicuous donations – $100m from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for food banks, billions from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for a coronavirus vaccine, thousands of ventilators and N95 masks from Elon Musk, $25m from the Walton family and its Walmart foundation. The list goes on.

Related: Call for super-rich to donate more to tackle coronavirus pandemic

Why should we believe that Gates or any other billionaire’s 'boldness' necessarily reflects society’s values and needs?

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US

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Could Microsoft’s climate crisis ‘moonshot’ plan really work?

The tech giant’s pledge to go carbon negative by 2030 leans heavily on nascent technology such as machines that suck carbon out of the air

Microsoft drew widespread praise in January this year after Brad Smith, the company’s president, announced their climate “moonshot”.

While other corporate giants, such as Amazon and Walmart, were pledging to go carbon neutral, Microsoft vowed to go carbon negative by 2030, meaning they would be removing more carbon from the atmosphere than they produced.

It will cost them money, but it will allow the technologies to come online and for the next company to follow their footsteps

It’s extremely hard to lead if there’s no one there to follow

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Microsoft launches faster Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2

Windows-maker updates top and cheapest PCs, and launches new headphones

Microsoft is launching a revamped line of its most powerful and cheapest Windows 10 PCs, the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2, as it adjusts to continue operations during the pandemic.

The new products, announced by blogpost rather than an event, are Microsoft’s premium computers competing directly with the likes of Apple and Dell, but with more novel designs.

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Big Ten commissioner on the future of college sports amid the coronavirus pandemic

Kevin Warren, Big Ten commissioner, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the future of college sports and what will weigh into the decision on allowing college sports to return.




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Recent rally has taken market to upper end of expected range: Koesterich

Russ Koesterich, BlackRock Global Allocation Fund portfolio manager, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the state of the markets amid the coronavirus pandemic.




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Dept. of Justice drops criminal case against ex-Trump advisor Flynn: AP

The Department of Justice has decided to drop the criminal case against President Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn. CNBC's Kayla Tausche reports.




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CBRE CEO on company earnings and the future office space

CBRE is the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. Bob Sulentic, CBRE CEO, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings, what the future office space could look like and the impact the company has seen from Covid-19.




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NYC brokers expect real estate prices to fall up to 20%

Many real estate deals were renegotiated or cancelled when the world was placed on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. CNBC's Robert Frank reports the numbers.




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Uber earnings and big layoffs hit Silicon Valley's lucrative start-up sector: CNBC After Hours

CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines, and what to watch as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep most of America on lockdown. Today, CNBC's Kate Rooney also takes a look at the widespread layoffs hitting the lucrative tech sector and start-up scene.




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Shanghai Disneyland tickets sell out as park prepares to reopen

CNBC's Eunice Yoon reports the latest out of Beijing on the rising tensions between the U.S. and China over the handling of coronavirus.




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Why the markets and economy are diverging during the pandemic

As economic data deteriorates, the stock market is substantially off its March lows, and the Nasdaq is now flat year-to-date. Peter R. Orszag, CEO, Financial Advisory, Lazard, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss the disconnect, the reopening of America and what might never return to normal.