US News Roundup: Trump says coronavirus risk in the U.S. is low; U.S. brewery shooting could spur gun debate in a presidential race 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.

U.S. brewery shooting could spur gun debate in a presidential race

A Molson Coors Beverage Co employee has shot five co-workers to death before taking his own life at the company's beer-brewing complex in Milwaukee, the latest episode in a rising tide of gun violence already reverberating in the U.S. presidential race. Authorities offered few details of the circumstances surrounding Wednesday afternoon's shooting and no explanation for what might have triggered the carnage.

Decriminalization of polygamy in Utah clears key hurdle in the state legislature

Legislation to effectively decriminalize polygamy among consenting adults in Utah overwhelmingly passed the state House of Representatives in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, moving it a step closer to becoming law. The measure reduces the criminal penalty for plural marriage from a felony to an infraction on par with a traffic ticket. It cleared the House on a vote of 70-3.

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.

Biden lands key endorsement three days before South Carolina presidential contest

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden won the endorsement of an influential black congressman from South Carolina on Wednesday, three days before the state's primary where he is competing with national front-runner Bernie Sanders for the crucial African-American vote. Recent opinion polls show Biden, once the leading candidate in the race to be the Democratic candidate in November, losing ground nationally to the surging Sanders among black voters.

Republicans' 'Operation Chaos' seeks to undermine South Carolina's Democratic primary

Republican activists in South Carolina are urging party voters to do the seemingly unthinkable: support U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' bid for the White House in the state's Democratic primary on Saturday. The unusual effort is aimed at exposing what the activists see as flaws in the Southern state's open primary system - and at boosting the candidate many Republicans view as the easiest rival for Republican President Donald Trump to beat in November.

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.

Trump says coronavirus risk in the U.S. is low; CDC confirms first case of unknown origin

President Donald Trump told Americans on Wednesday that the risk from coronavirus remained "very low," and placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the U.S. response to the looming global health crisis. At a White House briefing, Trump defended his administration's handling of the crisis and said health experts were "ready, willing and able" to move quickly if the virus spreads.

On the trail: Coronavirus, South Carolina and Super Tuesday

Democratic presidential hopefuls spread out across South Carolina on Thursday ahead of the state's primary election on Saturday - their first big test with African-American voters. But several also headed to some of the Super Tuesday regions, the 14-state March 3 contest that offers the largest single-day haul of delegates in the party's White House nominating battle.