US News Roundup: CDC reports 4,542,579 coronavirus cases; Wilford Brimley dies age 85 and more

Factbox: Coronavirus in Congress - 14 members have tested or been presumed positive At least 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate - seven Republicans and seven Democrats - have tested positive or are presumed to have had COVID-19 since the novel coronavirus pandemic began earlier this year, with Representative Raul Grijalva becoming the latest on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Storm Isaias nears Florida's east coast

Isaias, downgraded from a hurricane but still a powerful tropical storm, churned close to Florida on Sunday, set to brush the state's east coast with strong winds, drenching rain and potential coastal flooding. By 8 a.m. (1200 GMT), Tropical Storm Isaias was about 40 miles (70 km) east-southeast of West Palm Beach, heading northwest with top sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 kph), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Congressional Democrats, White House still at impasse over coronavirus bill

The top Democrats in Congress are not close to a deal with the White House to pump more money into the U.S. economy to ease the coronavirus' heavy toll, both sides said on Saturday, after an essential lifeline for millions of unemployed Americans expired. "This was the longest meeting we had and it was more productive than the other meetings," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "There are many issues that are still very much outstanding."

U.S. makes deal for 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, deaths expected to rise

Two major drug companies will supply the U.S. government with 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine, the Trump administration said on Friday, as the nation's top health agency predicted that fatalities would rise in the coming weeks. The agreement calls for the U.S. government to pay French drug maker Sanofi and British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline up to $2.1 billion to supply it with enough vaccines for 50 million people, with the option to buy another 500 million doses.

U.S. CDC reports 4,542,579 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 4,542,579 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 68,605 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,371 to 152,870. The CDC reported its tally of cases of COVID-19, an illness caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on July 31, versus its previous report a day earlier.

Southern California 'Apple Fire' forces nearly 8,000 to evacuate

Nearly 8,000 residents of Riverside County in Southern California were forced to evacuate their homes on Saturday as a wildfire spread uncontained across more than 4,000 acres, the County fire department said. The fire, dubbed the Apple Fire by local firefighters - who routinely give blazes identifying names - was reported Friday in Cherry Valley, a community about 75 miles east of Los Angeles and had destroyed at least one family home as of Saturday evening.

'Cocoon' actor Wilford Brimley dies age 85

Actor Wilford Brimley, best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning movie "Cocoon" and "The Firm" has died at the age of 85, U.S. media reported. Utah-born Brimley found his way into the film industry through stunt work around horse riding, before taking on successively larger roles in his 40s and 50s which brought him fame playing sometimes gruff but lovable moustachioed seniors.

NASA astronauts riding SpaceX capsule poised for Sunday return

The two NASA astronauts who rode to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's new Crew Dragon are heading home for a Sunday splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, capping a two-month voyage in space that marked NASA's first crewed mission from home soil in nine years. Crew Dragon "Endeavor" decoupled from the orbital station at 7:35 p.m. ET carrying U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley ahead of a Sunday afternoon splashdown off the coast of Pensacola, Florida — the first procedure of its kind in a privately built space capsule.

Arizona congressman tests positive for coronavirus

Representative Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, has tested positive for coronavirus but feels fine and has gone into isolation, he said in a statement on Saturday. Grijalva, 72, was told of the positive test by the attending physician of the capitol, he said. "I currently have no symptoms, feel fine, and hope to make a quick and speedy recovery," he said.

Fauci resists Republican effort to turn testimony against protesters

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday resisted efforts by a staunch ally of President Donald Trump to turn his testimony about controlling the coronavirus pandemic into criticism of protests against racial injustice. Fauci clashed with Representative Jim Jordan at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Coronavirus, after the Ohio Republican demanded Fauci's opinion about whether protests should be curbed or eliminated to control the pandemic.

Factbox: Coronavirus in Congress - 14 members have tested or been presumed positive

At least 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate - seven Republicans and seven Democrats - have tested positive or are presumed to have had COVID-19 since the novel coronavirus pandemic began earlier this year, with Representative Raul Grijalva becoming the latest on Saturday. Here is a look at lawmakers affected by the virus:

(With inputs from agencies.)