US News Roundup: Flood risk model to be publicly available; Amazon to seek order to block Microsoft and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California governor's 'homelessness tour' seeks money, solutions to the crisis on streets

California's governor began a week-long "homelessness tour" on Monday seeking $750 million to address growing numbers of people living on the streets, stopping first in a rural community to show his state's problems extend beyond the big cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom last week asked state lawmakers to create the $750 million fund as part of his 2020-21 budget and plans to petition the federal government for additional money to help California's Medicaid program improve services for the homeless.

U.S. flood risk model to be publicly available in a boon for homebuyers

A climate research organization will offer access to a risk model that predicts the probability of flooding for homes across the United States, giving the public a look at the data institutional investors use to gauge risk. First Street Foundation on Tuesday launched Flood Lab, a research partnership that provides eight universities with its model that maps previous instances of flooding as well as future risks. Using the dataset, Wharton, MIT and John Hopkins University among others will quantify the impacts of flooding on the U.S. economy. Warren:

Sanders said in 2018 meeting a woman could not win the White House

Elizabeth Warren took the unusual step on Monday of confirming a report that fellow Democratic White House contender Bernie Sanders told her during a 2018 meeting that he did not believe a woman could win the 2020 presidential race. Warren and Sanders are fellow U.S. senators, friends, and their party's progressive standard-bearers who agreed early in the nominating contest to an informal non-aggression pact.

New York Hanukkah machete attack suspect could face potential death penalty trial

The man accused of stabbing at least five people in a machete rampage at the home of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration could face a death penalty trial if one of his alleged victims, still in a coma, dies, a judge said on Monday. Grafton Thomas, 37, appeared in a White Plains, New York, a court where he pleaded not guilty to federal hate crimes for the Dec. 28 stabbing of members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Monsey, New York, bringing the number of federal charges he faces to 10.

House Democrats huddle ahead of expected transfer of Trump impeachment charges to Senate

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday will discuss the strategy and timing for sending articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate as Republicans balk at a call to dismiss the charges without a trial. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will convene the meeting at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) for a check-in session after saying on Sunday she planned to send the impeachment charges, which she has held since the House passed them in December, to the Senate this week.

Harvard professor Lessig sues NY Times for 'clickbait defamation' over Jeffrey Epstein story

A prominent Harvard Law School professor sued The New York Times on Monday, claiming it engaged in "clickbait defamation" by falsely suggesting he once approved of accepting donations from the late accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lawrence Lessig said the Times published an article headlined "A Harvard Professor Doubles Down: If You Take Epstein's Money, Do It In Secret" last Sept. 14 with reckless disregard for its truth.

Amazon to seek an order to block Microsoft from working on DoD's JEDI contract

Amazon.com Inc will ask a judge to temporarily block Microsoft Corp from working on a $10 billion cloud contract from the Pentagon, a court filing showed on Monday. Amazon, which was seen as a favorite for the contract, plans to file a motion for a temporary restraining order on Jan. 24 and a federal court will issue its decision on Feb. 11, according to the filing.

Seattle passes campaign finance curbs on 'foreign-influenced' firms

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve campaign finance legislation banning political donations in local elections from companies with at least 5% foreign ownership. The Clean Campaigns Act makes Seattle the largest city with such a ban following St. Petersburg, Florida, which passed a similar ordinance in 2017.

Instacart to expand grocery pick-up service to all 50 states by end of 2020

Instacart plans to expand its grocery pick-up service to all 50 states of the U.S. by the end of this year, the company said on Tuesday, as it doubles down on an increasingly popular "click and collects" shopping habit among consumers. "Click and collect", a service offered by retailers where customers order goods online and pick them up at a nearby store, has had a boom in popularity over the last few years as shoppers see the appeal in avoiding shipping costs and waiting for deliveries.

Apple rejects claims it did not provide assistance in Pensacola shooting probe

Apple Inc on Monday said it rejects "the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance" in the investigation into a shooting in Pensacola, Florida, last month. Apple's comments came after U.S. Attorney General William Barr called the fatal shooting of three Americans by a Saudi Air Force officer at a Florida naval base "an act of terrorism" and called on the technology company to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation unlock two iPhones involved in the case.

(With inputs from agencies.)