How do I programmatically show a view block? I created a view block, whose machine name is "news."  

How do I display it using module_invoke() and the machine name of the view?
Use views_embed_view():

echo views_embed_view('view_machine_name', 'block_1');


You can find out the display name by clicking the tab and check its name in the address bar of your browser: #views-tab-block_1 gives you block_1.