Chagrin Falls

Matthew Rhys on 'Perry Mason' role: 'It terrified me but I said I have to play it'

Matthew Rhys as "Perry Mason" in the new HBO series is not the "Perry Mason" of the 50s and 60s. When Rhys found out an updated version of the show would not simply be a reboot, he was all in. "They said, 'we're interested in an origin story in how Perry Mason became Perry Mason," Rhys said on "Popcorn with Peter Travers."

U.S. appeals court rules against Trump over subpoena for ex-White House lawyer

A U.S. appeals court on Friday dealt the administration of President Donald Trump a major legal setback, ruling against its bid to block a Democratic-led congressional panel's subpoena for testimony from former White House Counsel Donald McGahn. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on a 7-2 vote said the House of Representatives had legal standing to seek to enforce the subpoena.

U.S. surpasses 160,000 coronavirus deaths as school openings near

The country with the most coronavirus cases, the United States recorded 160,003 deaths and 4.91 million cases. Coronavirus deaths are rising in 23 states and cases in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis of data the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks. The grim milestone marks an increase of 10,000 deaths in nine days in the United States.

Former U.S. national security adviser Scowcroft is dead at 95

Brent Scowcroft, a pragmatic three-star general who served as national security adviser to Republican U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush and later criticized President George W. Bush's Iraq war policies, died on Thursday. Scowcroft, a member of the presidential commission that investigated the biggest scandal of Ronald Reagan's presidency and an architect of the 1991 Gulf War under the elder Bush, died of natural causes, according to a statement on Friday from a spokesman for the Bush family.

Man who opened fire on four officers in South Miami-Dade is arrested, police say

A man who “matched the description” of a wanted suspect opened fire on four police officers Wednesday night as they approached him in the Perrine area of South Miami-Dade, police said.

Keke Palmer joins 'The Proud Family' reboot as a teenage activist: 'I grew up on the show'

Keke Palmer is set to join the cast of the upcoming animated family sitcom reboot "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." The actress will voice the character of 14-year-old Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, a socially conscious activist who isn't afraid to stand on her own. On Thursday, Palmer joined the cast and executive producers of the groundbreaking animated series for a virtual reunion during the NAACP’s Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival to reminisce on the show's cultural impact and share details about the new series coming exclusively to Disney+.

New U.S. Postal Service chief warns of 'dire' finances as quarterly loss narrows

The head of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Friday said the agency faces a "dire" financial position even as it posted a slightly narrower third-quarter loss amid soaring package demand during the coronavirus pandemic. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said USPS has a "broken business model" and is in need of organizational changes. USPS said quarterly revenue rose to $17.6 billion, up $547 million.

After nearly 50 years on the run, 77-year-old prison escapee captured

Fugitive Luis Archuleta, who escaped from prison in 1974, was captured in Española, New Mexico, the FBI said. An officer he shot in 1971 found him.

Black Lives Matter protesters facing life imprisonment for smashing windows in Utah demonstration

A group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Salt Lake City who allegedly splashed paint and smashed windows at a district attorney’s office could be facing life in prison.The charges brought against the protesters have been given a so-called “gang enhancement”, a legal device introduced in the 1990s allowing authorities to add years of extra jail time to underlying sentences where people have committed a crime together.

U.S. Black-white unemployment rate gap widens again in July

The rate for both races fell in July, but the rate for whites dropped more, by 0.9 percentage point to 9.2%. The rate for Blacks dropped by 0.8 percentage point to 14.6%, widening the gap to 5.4 points. The average unemployment rate for all demographic groups fell to 10.2% from 11.1%.

Explainer: Trump wants to bypass U.S. coronavirus aid talks with executive order. Can he?

With congressional Democrats and White House negotiators so far unable to agree on a deal to salve the heavy economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump has threatened to bypass Congress with an executive order. Trump said on Twitter he is considering executive orders to continue expanded unemployment benefits, reinstate a moratorium on evictions, cut payroll taxes and continue a suspension of student loan repayments amid a health crisis that has killed nearly 160,000 Americans.

Europeans urge fair election in Belarus, criticize run-up

Top European officials urged Belarusian authorities on Friday to ensure a free and fair presidential election this weekend and denounced “unacceptable” restrictions ahead of the vote. President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for 26 years, is seeking a sixth term in Sunday's election. Election officials have already barred Lukashenko’s two main challengers from running, but remaining candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has managed to unite the fragmented opposition.

Pfizer to make Gilead's COVID-19 treatment remdesivir

Gilead is aiming to supply enough of the drug by the end of the year to treat more than 2 million COVID-19 patients, and agreed to send nearly all of its remdesivir supply to the United States through September. Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general urged the U.S. government to allow other companies to make Gilead's remdesivir, to increase its availability and lower the price of the antiviral drug. Gilead said its manufacturing network for the drug had grown to more than 40 companies in North America, Europe and Asia to add capacity.

Go under the sea virtually, with Disney's 'The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure'

"Clam" aboard a Disney family favorite: "The Little Mermaid": Ariel's Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure park.Though Disneyland remains closed for now, you can experience the attraction virtually. In Disney Parks' latest "ride and learn" video, "relive moments from the classic animated film -- from exploring Ariel's gadget-filled grotto to singing along to Sebastian's hot crustacean band. You'll also discover fascinating facts and treasures untold about this beloved attraction," according to the Disney Parks blog. ...

Russia warns it will see any incoming missile as nuclear

Russia will perceive any ballistic missile launched at its territory as a nuclear attack that warrants a nuclear retaliation, the military warned in an article published Friday. The harsh warning in the official military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) is directed at the United States, which has worked to develop long-range non-nuclear weapons. The article follows the publication in June of Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy that envisages the use of atomic weapons in response to what could be a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

The latest predictions from the university’s widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) came as top White House infectious disease advisers warned that major U.S. cities could erupt as new coronavirus hot spots if officials there were not vigilant with counter-measures. India, the country hardest hit in Asia by the pandemic, reported a record daily jump in infections, taking its total number of cases over 2 million. With infections spreading further to smaller towns and rural areas, experts say the epidemic is likely to be months away from hitting its peak in India, putting more strain on an already overburdened healthcare system.

Why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would be a disastrous duo in the year of George Floyd

The theme of this rotten year is racial justice. America needs a fix to our criminal justice system, not a reminder of just how broken it really is.

A Florida man has been arrested over claims he spat on a child's face and told him: 'You now have coronavirus'

Jason Copenhaver confronted the boy after the child refused to remove his face mask in a restaurant, the Treasure Island Police Department said.

The Russian owner who abandoned the ship full of ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut explosion has been questioned by police in Cyprus, reports say

Igor Grechushkin was questioned by Cyprus police on Thursday over the MV Rhosus, the ship that carried ammonium nitrate to Beirut, local reports say.

Takeda to make Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Japan

To ramp up production, Takeda will get funding from Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare ministry, the companies said. "Takeda's leading position in Japan, technical expertise, regulatory know-how and manufacturing capacity make the company an ideal partner to further expand the global availability of NVX-CoV2373," said Stanley Erck, chief executive officer of Novavax.

AstraZeneca to supply Japan with COVID-19 vaccine thru JCR Pharma output, imports

AstraZeneca said on Friday JCR Pharma will help make a portion of its potential COVID-19 vaccine in Japan and it will import shots as part of its deal to supply the Asian nation with up 120 million doses from early 2021. It did not give a breakdown for the volume of domestic production and imports or say where the vaccine from overseas would come from. It also said Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, Daiichi Sankyo Biotech Co Ltd, Meiji Seika Pharma Co Ltd and KM Biologics Co Ltd will "support supply" in Japan, but gave no other details.

Letters to the Editor: Jackie Lacey's husband has a right to protect his home. Why charge him with assault?

David Lacey didn't hurt anyone when Black Lives Matter demonstrators showed up at his home shortly after 5 a.m. one morning.

Letters to the Editor: Treating stillbirths as potential murders would open a Pandora's box

Investigating stillbirths for possible criminality by the mother would put us on a very slippery slope when it comes to women's health.

Federal ‘El Dorado’ task force targets kleptocrats who wash billions in South Florida

In the bad old days of Miami Vice, the feds fixated on chasing after narco-traffickers like Pablo Escobar and grabbing their drugs and cash.

India's Serum Institute to get $150 million from Gates Foundation for COVID-19 vaccine

Serum Institute of India said on Friday it would receive $150 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI vaccines alliance to make 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other emerging economies as early as 2021. The candidate vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca and Novavax, will be priced at $3 per dose and will be made available in 92 countries in GAVI's COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), the company said in a statement. The Gates Foundation will provide the funds to GAVI, which will be used to support Serum Institute.

Japan in deals with AstraZeneca, Novavax for COVID-19 vaccines

Japan plans to buy AstraZeneca Plc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine and fund a local company to manufacture Novavax's vaccine candidate, ramping up its stockpile plan as it battles surging infections. Japan will order 120 million doses of the experimental vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical company, beginning with 30 million doses by March next year. Separately, Takeda Pharmaceutical said on Friday it would manufacture and sell up to 250 million doses of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine candidate every year in Japan, with funding support from the government.

Exclusive: Lebanon navigates food challenge with no grain silo and few stocks

Beirut's blast destroyed Lebanon's only large grain silo, with plans for another in the country's second biggest port Tripoli shelved years ago due to a lack of funding, the U.N.'s FAO, Tripoli port director and a regional grain expert told Reuters. The destruction of the 120,000-tonne capacity structure and of the port, the main entry point for food imports, means buyers will have to rely on smaller private storage facilities for their wheat purchases, exacerbating fears of food shortages. Lebanon, a nation of an estimated 6 million people, imports almost all of its wheat.

Thousands seek refuge as high heat slams Britain, France

Thousands in Britain sought refuge from the searing heat Friday, mobbing beaches and parks despite warnings to keep their distance from others amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution carried out 30 rescues on just one beach on a single day in Cornwall.