Jun 12, 2017

Microsoft debuts new $499 game console, the Xbox One X, due Nov. 7

Microsoft

Microsoft used its press conference at the E3 gaming trade show to introduce the next version of the Xbox, a high-end model called the Xbox One X and due to hit the market in November.

Key features: 4K video support, compatibility with older games, Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, 1TB of storage and what Microsoft says is 40 percent more power than any game console on the market.

What's missing: Microsoft didn't talk specifically about virtual reality, while PlayStation 4 already has a VR add-on. Microsoft does have plans for Windows Mixed Reality headsets that connect to Windows devices.

Why it matters: The game console market is of the great head-to-head battles in tech, with Microsoft and Sony the primary combatants, having left Nintendo behind.

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Jacob Knutson

Clyburn: Sanders' "socialist" label will be "extra burden" in House races

Clyburn with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that Sen. Bernie Sanders' identification as a democratic socialist may be an "extra burden" in down-ballot House races if he were to win the Democratic nomination.

Why it matters: Clyburn's comments echo fears from many establishment Democrats, who worry the House majority they won in 2018 by taking moderate seats carried by President Trump could be at risk with Sanders at the top of the ticket.

Go deeper7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

O'Brien rejects intelligence report of Russia effort to re-elect Trump

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien. Photo: Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien repeatedly rejected on ABC's "This Week" an assessment from a congressional briefing led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election to help President Trump get re-elected.

Why it matters: The report put the Trump administration under fresh scrutiny in regard to steps it has been taking to combat the kind of interference that the U.S. encountered in 2016.

Go deeperUpdated 35 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

Italy becomes site of largest coronavirus outbreak outside of Asia

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus has spread to more nations as South Korea and Italy step up emergency measures in their countries amid rising case numbers on Sunday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed at least 2,462 people and infected almost 79,000 others, mostly in mainland China. South Korea increased the infectious disease alert to red, the highest possible, as its case numbers jumped to 602 and the death toll to five. Italy's government announced emergency measures as it confirmed a spike from three to 132 cases in matter of days, making it the largest outbreak outside of Asia.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health