A farewell to Ozzy, Coke's sugar high, another vaccine shake-up: The week in review

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RFK shakes up vaccines again
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took another step toward overhauling the nation's vaccine policy when he approved the removal of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, from all flu vaccines despite widespread agreement in the medical community that the preservative is safe. Kennedy signed off on a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel he replaced with his own appointed members in June, to stop distributing vaccines containing thimerosal, which has long been targeted by anti-vaccine groups.
An operatic honor for Melania
Republican lawmakers are working on a Kennedy Center production of their own: renaming the center's Opera House to the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.' The House Appropriations Committee, whose spending bill funds the iconic performing arts venue in Washington, voted 33-25 for the change. Lawmakers have already agreed to spend $256.7 million on improvements to the center sought by President Donald Trump, who ousted much of the Kennedy Center's board after he took office and appointed himself chairman. He has criticized some of the center's performances and said in one visit that he 'never liked 'Hamilton' very much.'
A sweet twist to the Cola wars
Cane sugar: It's the real thing. A Coca-Cola made with cane sugar − not high-fructose corn syrup − is coming to the United States this fall, the company announced, just like the Coke you find overseas, including Mexico. (The long-running debate over which tastes better, U.S. Coke or Mexican Coke, has been a fierce one). The news doesn't come as a compete surprise; President Donald Trump had made a case for cane sugar Coke on social media in mid-July − 'You'll see. It's just better!' Also, not to be outdone, Pepsi announced it is launching Pepsi Prebiotic Cola this fall, in Original Cola and Cherry Vanilla, containing 5 grams of cane sugar and 3 grams of prebiotic fiber.
Ozzy Osbourne, the 'Prince of Darkness,' is dead
The heavy metal world has lost one of its most beloved characters, Ozzy Osbourne, at age 76, only weeks after reuniting with his original band, Black Sabbath, in England for a farewell show. Osbourne, who was infamous for his hard living (and for biting the head off a bat), exploded into stardom in a solo career and later branched into reality TV with MTV's 'The Osbournes' in the early 2000s. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease. In a just-announced new memoir, 'Last Rites,' arriving Oct. 7, Osbourne says: 'Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can't complain. I've been all around the world. … I've done good, and I've done bad. But right now, I'm not ready to go anywhere.'
Remembering Ozzy Osbourne: Life on the 'Crazy Train': The metal icon through the years
All bets for 2026 are on Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a dominating win at the British Open July 20, is at the top of his game, and you can expect he'll be there for awhile. Scheffler, 29, who also captured the PGA Championship in May and now needs only a U.S. Open victory to enter the elite group of golfers who have won the sport's grand slam of all four major championships, is now the odds-on favorite to win every major in 2026, according to BetMGM. Declared the gaming venture's Matt Wall: 'The comparisons with Tiger Woods certainly don't look out of place right now.' − Compiled by Robert Abitbol
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A farewell to Ozzy, Coke's sugar high, the flu fight: Week in review