US Domestic News Roundup: Presidental hopeful Warren latest to press BlackRock; Can Sanders beat Trump? and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Presidential hopeful Warren latest to press BlackRock on climate

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of several vying to be the Democratic party's presidential nominee, this week pressed the world's largest asset manager for details on its recent vows to take more account of climate risks. The five-page letter, also signed by senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Cory Booker and Chris Van Hollen, is the latest outreach BlackRock Inc has received over sustainability matters and reflects the growing interest, at least among some Democrats, in making climate a business issue for financial firms.

Can Sanders beat Trump? A growing number of Democratic voters say yes

Bernie Sanders' Democratic presidential rivals warn that nominating the self-described democratic socialist will ensure President Donald Trump's re-election, but a growing number of the party's voters see the senator as their best chance of winning in November. Sanders' dominating performance in last week's Nevada caucuses, powered by growing support across age, race, and ideology, has set off alarm bells among Democratic Party officials who belief putting the progressive stalwart at the top of the ticket will harm the party's chances up and down the ballot.

Trump campaign plans information centers for black voters in battleground states

President Donald Trump's campaign said on Wednesday it plans to open information centers for black voters in 15 cities in battleground states in hopes of increasing support for the Republican president's re-election bid among a key Democratic constituency. Trump has a steep hill to climb winning over black voters. According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll from Feb. 19-25, 15% of African Americans said they approved of Trump’s performance in office, while 79% disapproved and 6% were not sure.

U.S. Supreme Court allows retirement plan lawsuit against Intel

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to back stricter deadlines for workers to sue retirement plans over alleged mismanagement, ruling Intel Corp cannot avoid a suit accusing it of unlawfully making high-risk investments that cost retirement plan beneficiaries hundreds of millions of dollars. The justices unanimously upheld a lower court decision that revived the proposed class-action lawsuit filed in 2015 by former Intel engineer Christopher Sulyma against the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker. The justices rejected Intel's argument that Sulyma's lawsuit had been filed too late.

Ad spending nears $900 million, Biden lands key endorsement as Democrats campaign in South Carolina

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won the endorsement of an influential black congressman from South Carolina on Wednesday, which could prove pivotal as he competes with national front-runner Bernie Sanders for the support of the state's African-American voters in Saturday's primary. Recent opinion polls show Biden, once the leading candidate in the race to be the party's candidate in November, losing ground nationally with black voters to the surging senator from Vermont.

'Multiple people' killed in shooting at Molson Coors facility in Milwaukee

"Multiple people" were killed in a mass shooting at a Molson Coors Beverage Co facility in Milwaukee on Wednesday, with the suspect apparently among the dead, the city's mayor, Tom Barrett, said. Milwaukee police said on Twitter they were responding to a "critical incident," but released no immediate details.

Court allows Trump to withhold funds from 'sanctuary' jurisdictions

President Donald Trump's administration can withhold millions of dollars in law enforcement funds from states and cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan was a victory for Trump in his years-long fight with so-called sanctuary jurisdictions.

Let's not 'short change' funding for coronavirus response: U.S. Senate appropriations chair

The head of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican Senator Richard Shelby, said on Wednesday Congress should provide the Trump administration with the funds it needs to combat coronavirus. Congress, working with the administration, should "do everything we can to make sure they have the tools, the money, to do the job to prevent the spread as much as they can, and if it spreads to mitigate it," Shelby said in an interview with Fox News Channel.

U.S. health officials urge Americans to prepare for spread of coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday alerted Americans to begin preparing for the spread of coronavirus in the United States after infections surfaced in several more countries. The announcement signaled a change in tone for the Atlanta-based U.S. health agency, which had largely been focused on efforts to stop the virus from entering the country and quarantining individuals traveling from China.

U.S. Supreme Court dismisses 'D.C. Sniper' Malvo case after change in law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday formally dismissed a case in which Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 when he took part in the deadly 2002 "D.C. Sniper" shooting spree in the Washington area, was challenging his life without parole sentence. The move comes after a new law was passed in Virginia, where Malvo is incarcerated in a supermax state prison. The measure, signed into law on Monday, lets people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for offenses committed before age 18 - as Malvo was - to seek release after 20 years.

(With inputs from agencies.)