Ozzy Osbourne speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
If you ever find yourself flying into Birmingham, England, you won’t be landing at Ozzy Osbourne Airport.
Despite a petition to rename it after the late metal legend and Birmingham hometown hero, the airport’s CEO, Nick Barton, tells BBC Radio WM it’s not going to happen.
“Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry but the answer is no,” Barton says. “The airport name is so important for our future development of what we’ve got, which is a fantastic airport, but yet to grow significantly, which we will do on the back of its name.”
The airport’s current name is simply Birmingham Airport and uses the code BHX. And while it won’t be named after Ozzy, the airport plans to celebrate the Prince of Darkness and other famed Brummies with a mural.
Ozzy did also just posthumously receive another Birmingham honor, the Lord Mayor’s Award, on what would’ve been his 77th birthday Wednesday.
A little over two months after the death of their drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin released a statement announcing their breakup.
“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were,” read the statement.
The surviving members of Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones – reunited three times following the split.
The first reunion happened in 1985 at Live Aid in Philadelphia, while the second occurred on May 14, 1988, at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert, with Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, behind the drum kit.
The third and final reunion took place Dec. 10, 2007, at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London, again with Jason Bonham behind the drum kit.
Stock image of police lights. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The mysterious death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera has been ruled a suicide, police said, noting a suicide note found on her phone and reported previous comments about self-harm.
The investigation began at 12:46 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to an Austin apartment complex and found Aguilera on the ground with trauma from an apparent fall from a high floor, Austin Police Detective Robert Marshall said.
Cameras showed Aguilera arriving at the apartment complex just after 11 p.m. Friday and going to an apartment on the 17th floor, Marshall said at a news conference on Thursday. The video showed “a large group of friends left that same apartment at 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 29, leaving just Brianna and three other girls in the apartment,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Aguilera was at a tailgate for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game, and she “became intoxicated to a point where she was asked to leave,” Marshall said.
Aguilera told her friends that she lost her phone, and when they arrived at the apartment Friday night, she borrowed a phone to call her boyfriend, he said.
Witnesses heard her argue on the phone with her boyfriend, Marshall said. That phone call took place from 12:43 a.m. to 12:44 am — two minutes before a 911 call, he said.
When police later found Aguilera’s lost phone, they recovered a “deleted digital suicide note dated Tuesday, Nov. 25 of this year, which was written to specific people in her life,” Marshall said.
“Brianna had made suicidal comments previously to friends, back in October of this year,” he said. “This continued through the evening of her death, with some self-harming actions early in the evening and a text message to another friend indicating the thought of suicide.”
No evidence in the investigation ever pointed to a crime, Marshall stressed, adding, “Every friend and witness during this investigation has been nothing but forthcoming and open.”
Aguilera’s family told local media earlier this week the beloved college student was not suicidal and was planning to pursue a career in law.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at the news conference, “I understand how grief and the need for answers can raise intense emotions and many questions. But sometimes the truth doesn’t provide the answers we are hoping for, and that is this case.”
Davis said her “heart aches” for Aguilera’s parents.
“I have three daughters and a son, and I cannot begin to imagine the pain,” Davis said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide — free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and John Gourley of Portugal. The Man perform during the 2013 Bonnaroo Lineup Announcement Megathon on February 19, 2013 in New York City. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
In what may sound like the result of a music-themed Mad Libs game, Portugal. The Man covered Rage Against the Machine with “Weird Al” Yankovic.
The parody master joined the “Feel It Still” outfit during their show in New York City on Tuesday for a rocking, non-parody performance of Rage’s “Killing in the Name.”
You can watch footage of the onstage collaboration, which also featured filmmaker and The Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone dressed as Pee-wee Herman, now via PTM’s Instagram.
While we can’t explain the Pee-wee part, Portugal. The Man and “Weird Al” do have a history. In 2020, they teamed up on a song called “Who’s Gonna Stop Me,” which was described as Al’s first-ever non-comedic release. Al also put out remixes of the PTM songs “Feel It Still” and “Live in the Moment” in 2018.
Portugal. The Man is currently on tour in support of their new album, SHISH, which includes the single “Tanana.”
‘Megadeth: Behind the Mask’ film poster. (Trafalgar Releasing)
Megadeth will preview their upcoming final album with a worldwide cinema event.
Megadeth: Behind the Mask will premiere in theaters Jan. 22, featuring a career-spanning interview with frontman Dave Mustaine,alongside a playback and track-by-track breakdown of the new record.
“This listening event is going to be amazing,” Mustaine says. “I can’t wait to share it with thousands of my closest friends around the world. I have so much gratitude for everyone who helped bring this film to life, especially you, the fans! Now let’s fire this up… and pass the popcorn!”
Tickets to Megadeth: Behind the Mask will go on sale Dec. 11 at 9 a.m. ET.
The final Megadeth album, which is self-titled, is due out Jan. 22. The thrash veterans also plan to launch a multiyear farewell tour, which so far includes North American dates with Iron Maiden, set to kick off in August.
Cover of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ memoir ‘Cat On The Road To Findout’ /(Genesis Publications)
Yusuf/Cat Stevens postponed the North American book tour supporting his memoir, Cat On The Road To Findout, in September due to visa issues. At the time, he had expressed hope that the tour could be rescheduled, but he’s now announced that it’s not going to happen.
“Unfortunately, my North American book tour is officially cancelled,” he said in a statement. “Unpredictably, and befuddling to us all, the actual visa finally got delivered after the last scheduled date of the tour had passed.”
“I know how disappointing this must be for those of you who were looking forward to the book tour. My agent and team explored every possible avenue, but it was all beyond our control,” he added. “I’m grateful for your patience and your support and I hope something new may be put together in the future, in better and brighter circumstances. Peace and love, always.”
Those still holding tickets for the tour will be notified about refunds.
Cat On The Road To Findout arrived in October. The tour, Cat on the Road to Findout: An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, and Other Mysteries, was supposed to kick off Oct. 2 in Philadelphia.
Guns N’ Roses have premiered two new songs called “Atlas” and “Nothin’.”
“‘Nothin” and ‘Atlas’ find the long-running band still at the height of their powers, showcasing two different sides of their personality,” a press release reads. “‘Atlas’ is GNR in full surging rock mode, while ‘Nothin” grows more introspective over floaty keys and an emotive guitar.”
You can listen to both songs out now on digitaloutlets. They’ll be released on a 7-inch vinyl single that will be available to preorder starting Dec. 12.
“Atlas” and “Nothin'” mark the first new GN’R music since the 2023 singles “The General” and “Perhaps.” The most recent Guns N’ Roses album is 2008’s Chinese Democracy, which was released before Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined Axl Rose in the band in 2016.
Guns N’ Roses will launch a 2026 U.S. tour in July.
New York Attorney General Letitia James stands silently during a press conference on October 21, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The nationwide fight over the Trump Administration’s top prosecutors moves to an Albany courtroom this morning, when a federal judge hears arguments about whether Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone has the authority to act as Northern New York’s chief law enforcement officer.
New York Attorney General Letitia James began the legal fight against Sarcone after the Federal Bureau of Investigation served two grand jury subpoenas to her office for documents related to the civil cases against the Trump Organization and National Rifle Association.
The oral arguments over the legitimacy of the subpoenas and criminal investigation comes one week after a judge in Virginia dismissed a criminal mortgage fraud case against James over issues with the appointment of Trump’s handpicked prosecutor.
Lawyers for the attorney general’s office argue that the subpoenas and ongoing criminal investigations are a “flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system” to punish James’ office for bringing cases against the president, his business and his allies.
“The Executive Branch seeks to transform a personal grievance, which failed as civil claims, into a federal criminal prosecution—a plain and calculated campaign to harass a law enforcement agency that held Mr. Trump and his organization to account,” attorneys wrote in a motion to quash the subpoenas.
Last year, James won a half-billion-dollar penalty against Trump for inflating his net worth to secure better business deals, but a state appeals court vacated the financial penalty when it upheld the ruling earlier this year. According to court filings, a grand jury in Albany issued two subpoenas in August to the office to turn over any documents or records related to both cases to the Justice Department.
James’s office moved to quash both the subpoenas in August by arguing the subpoenas were issued in bad faith, lacked a legitimate legal basis, violated state sovereignty, infringed on First Amendment protections and were issued by an unlawfully appointed federal prosecutor.
“The U.S. Department of Justice asks this Court to treat this as an ordinary case. It portrays the subpoenas as routine. And it recites the usual standards governing grand jury investigations — while trying to ignore and trying to convince this Court to ignore the extraordinary reality before it, that these subpoenas are a flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system, even by this President’s standards,” lawyers for the office wrote.
Prosecutors with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York have defended the subpoenas by arguing that the grand jury has vast power to investigate James because she allegedly “repeatedly promised to investigate, prosecute and sue the NRA and President Trump.”
“The challenged subpoenas … were issued by a validly empaneled grand jury in the Northern District of New York, which is entitled to investigate whether Attorney General Letitia James — alone or in concert with others — violated federal law by selectively pursuing the NYOAG Lawsuits against the NRA and President Trump when other similarly situated entities and individuals went unpursued,” prosecutors wrote.
The legal fight took on an added significance in recent months as the Trump administration’s policy of circumventing the Senate confirmation process for many of its U.S. attorneys has been scrutinized and rejected by federal judges.
A federal judge recently dismissed criminal cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey because the president’s handpicked prosecutor lacked the authority to bring the cases, and a federal appeals court unanimously upheld a decision on Monday disqualifying Alina Habba as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield — a judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the case after Northern District judges recused themselves — narrowed the purpose of today’s hearing to the sole question of whether Sarcone’s allegedly unlawful appointment invalidates the subpoenas.
Sarcone has functioned as the Acting U.S. attorney in Northern New York, but a panel of judges in July refused to permanently appoint him to lead the office following his controversial interim tenure. In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi named him as a “special attorney to the attorney general” who can indefinitely serve as northern New York’s top federal prosecutor.
Similar legal standoffs have sprouted across the country over the last few months, as federal courts have disqualified the U.S. attorneys in Nevada, California, and New Jersey. In each case, the Trump administration’s original picks to lead the office have remained in charge, bucking the long-standing practice of having the Senate confirm the president’s picks for the positions.
ock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cropper, founding member of Booker T. & the MG’s and the Blues Brothers Band, performs onstage at The Rose on September 28, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Booker T. and the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper died Wednesday at the age of 84. The news was confirmed on Cropper’s Facebook page, which noted he “died peacefully in Nashville.”
“Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched millions of lives around the world,” read the statement. “While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music. Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit and artistry will continue to move people for generations.”
Booker T. and the M.G.’s was the house band for the legendary label Stax Records, with Cropper playing on iconic recordings like Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” which he co-wrote and produced. He also produced many Stax recordings, and co-wrote songs like “In The Midnight Hour” with Wilson Pickett, and “Knock on Wood” with Eddie Floyd.
After leaving Stax in 1970, he went on to work with artists like Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr,John Lennon, The Jeff Beck Group, Peter Frampton and others. Cropper was also the lead guitarist in the Blues Brothers, fronted by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and appeared in the two Blues Brothers movies: 1980’s The Blues Brothers and 1998’s Blues Brothers 2000.
Despite his departure from Stax, Cropper continued to record and tour with Booker T. and the M.G.’s, and they released their last album, That’s the Way It Should Be, in 1994.
Cropper launched his solo career with the 1969 album With a Little Help From My Friends. He released his most recent album, 2024’s Friendlytown, with his band The Midnight Hour. It featured guest appearances by ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Queen’s Brian May.
Cropper, nicknamed “The Colonel,” won two Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s. In 2005, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Catherine Stein, far right, speaks during a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on September 18, 2025 in Chamblee, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet Thursday and Friday to discuss the childhood vaccine schedule, adjuvants and contaminants, and the hepatitis B vaccine.
It marks the third meeting this year of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members, replacing them with his own hand-selected picks, many of whom have expressed vaccine-skeptic views.
This is also the first meeting since the chair of the ACIP, Martin Kulldorff — a former Harvard Medical School professor — accepted a permanent role at HHS. Pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon Dr. Kirk Milhoan will chair the committee during the upcoming meeting.
Milhoan is a fellow with the Independent Medical Alliance, a group that has advocated for unproven treatments for COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
A draft agenda posted online indicates the ACIP will discuss and vote on recommendations around the hepatitis B vaccine on day one and discuss the childhood vaccine schedule on day two.
“I think every single thing on that agenda is concerning,” Dr. Richard Besser, resident and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and acting director of the CDC during the administration of former President Barack Obama, told ABC News. “We have an administration [that] seems hellbent on undermining people’s trust in vaccination.”
Hepatitis B vaccine
Since the new ACIP members were installed, the committee has recommended against flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal — despite public health experts saying there is no evidence that low doses of thimerosal in vaccines cause harm — and has narrowed existing recommendations for the combined MMRV shot that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.
The first day of the meeting will include presentations and discussions about the hepatitis B vaccine.
The agenda also lists a scheduled vote and, although it’s not clear what will be voted on, experts believe the universal hepatitis B vaccine dose given at birth will be at issue.
The CDC currently recommends that the first dose of the three-dose hepatitis B vaccine be given to babies within 24 hours of birth. Doctors have said the universal birth dose recommendation has virtually eliminated hepatitis B among babies in the U.S.
However, earlier this year, Kulldorff questioned whether it was “wise” to administer shots “to every newborn before leaving the hospital.” Separately, Kennedy has falsely linked the hepatitis B vaccine to autism.
Some experts believe the panel will vote to either delay or remove the decades-long recommendation that newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
“I am concerned that the committee is going to attempt to minimize the harm resulting from any changes to this long-standing recommendation,” Dr. Fiona Havers, a former CDC official who worked on vaccine policy and led the CDC’s tracking of hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, told ABC News.
“They’re going to say that there’s no need to vaccinate babies at birth because you can screen mothers and only vaccinate babies born to patients who test positive or whose status is unknown,” she continued.
Havers said only vaccinating high-risk babies was the policy in the U.S. before the universal birth dose was implemented, but it was changed after doctors saw that babies and children continued to be infected with hepatitis B.
Additionally, babies infected with hepatitis B are at risk for chronic infection as well as liver disease, liver failure and even liver cancer.
“Babies can be infected not only by their mother if she has hepatitis B, but also by caregivers or others in the community who may not know that they have hepatitis B and any change to the routine recommendation means that we will see an increase in hepatitis B infections in infants and children,” Havers said.
She added, “Any hepatitis B infections that occur because a child wasn’t vaccinated at birth are an avoidable tragedy. We will start seeing more children living with a lifelong incurable infection that can lead to death from cirrhosis or liver cancer.”
Childhood immunization schedule
Besser said he is particularly concerned about the second day, which includes a discussion about the childhood immunization schedule.
The draft agenda is scant on details aside from topics including CDC vaccine risk monitoring evaluation discussion, vaccine schedule history, vaccine schedule considerations and a discussion of the childhood/adolescent immunization schedule
Earlier this year, the ACIP formed two new work groups, one focusing on the cumulative effects of children and adolescents receiving all recommended vaccines on the schedule and another reviewing vaccines that haven’t been examined for more than seven years.
Kennedy has suggested that children receive too many vaccine doses “to be fully compliant” and that the number of doses children receive has increased from three doses during his childhood to 92 doses today.
Doctors previously told ABC News that children actually receive about 30 vaccine doses and that the number of available, recommended immunizations has grown since the first vaccines were recommended in the late 1940s, based on evolving science and manufacturing capacity.
Besser said he has not heard safety concerns about the schedule from vaccine experts, pediatricians, those who administer vaccines or patient advocacy groups.
“There had not been concerns raised around the immunization schedule and forming a group that is going to look at [the schedule] wholesale when the going-in presumption is that it’s not safe really, really worries me,” Besser said.
The panel will also discuss vaccine “adjuvants and contaminants,” according to the draft agenda.
In a 2023 interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Kennedy claimed aluminum adjuvants are neurotoxins and are associated with allergies, including food allergies.
The CDC says adjuvants are ingredients used in some vaccines to help boost the immune response and have been used safely in vaccines for more than 70 years.
