Dell has introduced a redesigned $699 XPS 13 aimed squarely at Apple's budget MacBook Neo, offering a premium aluminum design, touch display, backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 7, 512GB of base storage, and various other configuration options. Dell's machine costs more than Apple's entry model but tries to justify the difference with lighter weight, better display specs, and upgrade paths Apple doesn't offer. "The XPS 13 begins at $699 -- students can purchase it for $599 -- while the MacBook Neo costs $599 and drops to $499 for education buyers," notes Bloomberg. From the report: Dell's product allows for more configuration, with up to 32GB of memory compared with the Neo's nonupgradeable 8GB of unified memory. Its display can also produce a wider spectrum of colors and supports refresh rates up to 120 hertz, while Apple reserves its best screens for the pricier MacBook Pro line. The inclusion of a backlit keyboard should allow for easier typing in dark conditions. Dell has also tossed in other nice-to-have upgrades over the Neo like more robust Wi-Fi 7 wireless networking. As for battery life, Dell is touting "up to 17 hours of streaming" versus a comparable 16 hours on the Neo. Still, the XPS comes with compromises of its own: Unlike the Neo, there's no built-in headphone jack, which means owners will need to rely on its quad-speaker audio system, use Bluetooth earbuds or plug a headphone adapter into one of the two USB-C ports. You can learn more via Dell.com.

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Chuck Schumer shares plans to force vote on ‘anti-weaponization’ fund and accuses Trump of ‘corruption’

Democrats in the US Senate vowed to force Republicans to vote on a $1.8bn “MAGA slush fund” established as part of a resolution of Donald Trump’s long-shot lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The US president has described the secretive and loosely controlled “anti-weaponization fund” as a means of paying the victims of politicized prosecutions. Members of his own party are among those who have expressed alarm.

Focusing in on the casino operator is a sharp departure from media for Diller at a time when markets remain volatile

Media mogul Barry Diller’s People Inc said on Monday it has proposed to buy MGM Resorts, valuing the casino operator at more than $18bn.

The offer comes just weeks after Diller, the digital media company’s chair, told shareholders in a 28 April letter that People would sharpen its focus on its MGM stake, calling the stock “wildly undervalued”.

• Calls the event ‘perfect place’ for her return to court

• Williams will play doubles with Victoria Mboko

Serena Williams has announced her sensational return to professional tennis at 44 years old next week at the Queen’s Club in London.

Williams will return to competition with a wildcard in the women’s doubles draw at Queen’s, a WTA 500 event in its second edition. She has not competed in the last four years since retiring from tennis at the US Open in 2022. Williams is a 23-time grand slam singles champion, the women’s open-era record, and a 14-time doubles champion. She is the only player to win the career golden slam in singles and doubles.

Powell says central bank has been facing ‘stress test’ under Trump, as supreme court weighs decision on Fed governor that president tried to fire

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Jerome Powell, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, has warned that a single act of political interference in monetary policy could permanently destroy public trust in the central bank.

As Donald Trump’s administration continues to test the Fed’s longstanding independence, Powell said in a speech on Sunday night that the institution was in the midst of a “stress test”.

Miami-Dade county officials agreed to pay HRP Group more than double the price for land on Fisher Island to protect fuel depot used by the cruise industry

A three-way tug-of-war erupted in recent months over ownership of a property on Fisher Island – one of the wealthiest zip codes in the United States – that sits in Biscayne Bay opposite the skyline of downtown Miami. When TransMontaigne Partners, a Denver-based global energy company, put the parcel on the market in May 2024, interest ran high because that land represented the last remaining piece of real estate available for development on the island.

The eventual winner of the bidding war was a Chicago-based developer called the HRP Group, which purchased the property for $180m in late September last year. The developer then announced ambitious plans to build condominium towers on the property at an estimated cost of $2bn.

Updates from Monday’s fourth-round matches
Email Daniel | Jódar and Fonseca into last eight

Potapova, having lost five games in a row, makes advantage on the Kalinskaya serve, a pair of backhands, one cross then another down the line, seizing the break to trail 4-6 1-0. Neither player is really at it here, meaning the match is there for whichever of them can stay composed.

On Chatrier, Svajda is improving, surviving to break points for lead 2-1 in set two, having lost the first 6-2. If he can attack Cobolli’s second serve and backhand, he might yet make an impression in this match.

Dozens reportedly arrested for defying curfew at Delaney Hall in Newark amid hunger and labor strikes at facility

Officials in New Jersey said Monday that several protesters were arrested overnight for defying a curfew at Delaney Hall, the Newark immigration detention center that has seen more than a week of chaotic and often violent clashes.

The state’s Democratic attorney general, Jennifer Davenport, posted on X that a group of individuals “had come to the protest armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks, [and] deliberately refused to comply with repeated orders to leave the area”, resulting in their arrest.