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Britney Spears’s father has said he opposes paying for the extra security costs of the singer’s carer, after claims she had received death threats.

Lawyers for Jodi Montgomery, who has looked after Spears‘s healthcare as part of the star’s controversial conservatorship arrangement since 2019, said that she had been sent death threats after the performer gave an explosive open court testimony last month.

Spears revealed that she had been put on contraception without her consent, and was being prevented from getting married – describing the arrangement as “abusive”.

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Britney Spears: ‘I want my life back’

Jamie Spears, Britney’s father and manager of her finances, wants the judge to deny the request for extra security costs from Ms Montgomery.

The 69-year-old, who has become a target of his daughter’s supporters and has refused to step back from his role, says he is “very concerned” about the “dangerous rhetoric” surrounding the conservatorship.

According to filing made in court, he “has been the subject of innumerable and ongoing threats as well – not just recently, but for years”, adding he “disagrees and objects” to Ms Montgomery’s request for more security assistance, which he says could cost up to $50,000 (£36,000) a month, indefinitely.

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Britney Spears will likely not get a say in whether the request should be approved or not.

The filing adds that “Mr Spears does not believe such an expense is reasonable, necessary, or a proper expense of the Conservatorship Estate”.

Lawyers also say that Ms Montgomery “has not provided sufficient detail, specific facts, or special circumstances to justify such an expense”, and that the request is “too vague and open-ended, and improperly and inexplicably seeks to shift the burden of ensuring her safety” on to Mr Spears.

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Ms Montgomery says she has reported the threats made against her life to the local police force, and is also making security updates to her home, and that she “has tirelessly acted in Britney’s best interests with the approval of her doctors and the oversight of the Court”.

It is yet another twist in Spears’s conservatorship battle, which has ramped up considerably since her court testimony last month – which has led to resignations from lawyers, managers, and wealth management firms.

A number of celebrities and showbiz friends have come out in support of the Baby One More Time singer in recent weeks, with the latest being former collaborator Madonna.

Writing on an Instagram story, the Queen of Pop said: “Give this woman her life back. Slavery was abolished so long ago! Death to the greedy patriarchy that has been doing this to women for centuries.

“This is a violation of human rights! Britney we coming to get you out of jail!”

On Thursday, Spears’s mother intervened, saying the singer is able to look after herself and should be allowed to choose her own lawyer.

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Kevin McCarthy: US House Speaker removed from office for first time in history

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Kevin McCarthy: US House Speaker removed from office for first time in history

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party.

The Republican faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz on Monday, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting.

It is the first time in the country’s history that House representatives have voted the Speaker out.

Behind closed doors early on Tuesday, Mr McCarthy told fellow Republicans: “If I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me out, I would have been gone a long time ago.”

Several Republicans, however, had said they were sticking with Mr McCarthy as they emerged from the meeting, during which they said he received standing ovations.

It follows a decision made by Mr McCarthy over the weekend to cooperate with the Democrats to keep the government running rather than risk a shutdown.

It is a move that angered Mr Gaetz and other far-right Republicans, as Mr McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a temporary funding extension on Saturday that avoided a partial government shutdown.

A band of about 20 Republicans had forced Mr McCarthy’s hand by repeatedly blocking other legislation.

Mr Gaetz and his allies said they were frustrated by the slow pace of spending legislation on Mr McCarthy’s watch.

Republican Representative Tim Burchett, who said he would vote to oust Mr McCarthy, said: “We took a whole month of August off. I think that that’s pretty telling.”

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Another day of history in US politics

It’s political pantomime, without the laughs.

To look at the House of Representatives is to see the turbulence of America’s political ecosystem.

The ousting of Kevin McCarthy leaves the lower chamber of Congress in a state of paralysis.

There will be an interim Speaker but his or her role will effectively amount to finding a permanent replacement.

It is a dysfunction at the heart of power, an extension of the fault lines that fracture the modern-day Republican Party.

Never before has a House Speaker been ejected in this way, another day of history in US politics

The history-makers at the wheel have travelled a distance from the party fringes to positions of influence.

Matt Gaetz is the high-profile House representative who tabled the motion to oust McCarthy.

He’s prominent amongst a hard-line conservative core of House Republicans, Trump-aligned, and bent on reshaping party traditions and reorientating its trajectory to the right.

It is a tail that can wag the dog and this episode is clear evidence of it.

The rules dictate that just one representative – Mr Gaetz in this case – can trigger a vote to oust the Speaker.

That arrangement was a deal Mr McCarthy struck in January to appease his party’s right wing and enable his accession to the position of Speaker.

It didn’t look like clever politics by Mr McCarthy at the time and it looks even less so today.

Today, politics are harder in a party whose politics have changed.

Not all are convinced by Mr Gaetz’s intentions, with some Republicans believing he is angling for a change at a higher office.

“It seems very personal with Matt. It doesn’t look like he’s looking out for the country or the institution,” Mr McCarthy said.

Mr Gaetz has denied he is spurred on by a dislike of Mr McCarthy.

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Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to three firearm charges

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Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to three firearm charges

Hunter Biden, the son US President Joe Biden, has pleaded not guilty to three federal firearm charges filed against him after a plea deal collapsed.

He is accused of lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun, which he kept for around 11 days.

Abbe Lowell, his lawyer, told the court in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday he plans to file a motion to dismiss the case, challenging their constitutionality.

While the president’s son has admitted to struggles with a crack cocaine addiction over the period in question, his lawyers insist he didn’t break the law.

These kind of gun charges are rare, and an appeals court has found banning drug users from guns violates the Second Amendment.

The case remains on track for a possible trial just as the 2024 election looms.

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Woman sues Disney theme park over claims water slide gave her ‘painful wedgie’

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Woman sues Disney theme park over claims water slide gave her 'painful wedgie'

A woman is suing Disney over claims a water slide at one of its theme parks left her with serious injuries.

In a lawsuit filed in Orange County, Florida, last week, the woman claims the Humunga Kowabunga slide at Walt Disney World gave her “severe vaginal lacerations”.

Warning: The article below contains details some people may find distressing

After going on the ride at Typhoon Lagoon as part of her 30th birthday celebrations in 2019, she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital before being moved to another that specialised in gynaecological injuries, court documents say.

There medics found she had a “full thickness laceration” of the vagina, which “caused the plaintiff’s bowel to protrude through her abdominal wall and damage her internal organs”.

She is seeking $50,000 (£41,400) in damages from Disney, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reports. The lawsuit said the Humunga Kowabunga slide puts riders at risk of a “painful wedgie”.

According to court documents, she went on the ride wearing a one-piece swimming costume with her mother and daughter after being instructed to cross her legs.

“The slide caused [her] clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her,” the documents read.

“She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs.”

A cave looking rock at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A
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Another attraction at Typhoon Lagoon

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It adds that “risk of injury as a consequence of water being forced inside a woman’s body” is “far greater than it is for a man”.

Disney has not responded to NBC News’s requests for comment.

Humunga Kowabunga is Typhoon Lagoon’s fastest and steepest waterslide. It sends people down a five-storey descent at speeds of up to 40mph, according to Disney’s website.

The theme park was built in 1989.

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