Controversial S#!T

Jamie Spears flatly denies bugging his daughter's bedroom ... one of the most explosive charges leveled against her former conservator.

Jamie filed a declaration, obtained by TMZ, in connection with the ongoing battle over alleged misdeeds committed during Britney Spears' 13-year conservatorship, and he said flatly, "I am informed of the allegation by Britney's counsel that a listening device or 'bug' was placed [in] her bedroom as surveillance during the Conservatorship. This allegation is false. I never conducted or authorized any surveillance of Britney's bedroom at any time, including during the conservatorship."

He went on to say he was not aware of any such device that was placed in his daughter's bedroom.

The New York Times documentary about Britney's conservatorship featured Alex Vlasov, a former employee of Black Box Security ... the company Jamie hired. He claimed such a device was indeed secretly placed in her bedroom to spy ... allegedly listening to private conversations.

Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has gone after Jamie hard, saying he violated his client's privacy and civil liberties.

A$AP Rocky's arrest in Sweden a few years back almost triggered an international trade war ... with then-President Donald Trump demanding his release -- or else.

Sweden's Justice Minister just revealed the information ... that Trump threatened to impose trade restrictions if A$AP wasn't freed stat.

The Justice Minister said Trump's threats were classic bullying, adding, "If you can try and do something like this against Sweden, what will you then try and do to slightly weaker countries that don't have the European Union behind them?"

The J.M. said Trump's actions clearly showed how essential it is to stand up for democracy.

As we reported ... A$AP was arrested 3 years ago in Stockholm after he and 2 bodyguards beat up a fan outside a fast-food restaurant ... and it was caught on video. They hit and kicked the guy ... then hit him with a broken bottle.

A$AP and co. said the guy had been harassing them and hurling racial epithets at them well. A$AP was held for more than a month.

Trump was briefed by Kanye and tweeted his support for A$AP, saying "Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Lofven for being unable to act. Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States," adding, "I watched the tapes of A$AP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly. #FreeRocky."

Busy Philipps is joining the millions of Americans protesting the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade ... and she's making her stand near Capitol Hill.

Busy was with hundreds of other demonstrators Thursday in Washington, D.C. ... marching down a street near the Supreme Court with a giant banner reading "We Won't Back Down."

The "Cougar Town" star was on the group's front line as they sang "We want justice" to the melody of Queen's hit "I Want it All."

Beyond the marching and singing, Busy made it clear she means business when it comes to opposing the controversial SCOTUS ruling -- she was wearing a t-shirt that says, "I will aid and abet abortion."

As you know, protests have been nearly nonstop since last Friday when the Supreme Court finally issued its opinion on Roe v. Wade ... after a draft of the opinion leaked back in early May.

Max Verstappen is breaking his silence on Nelson Piquet's controversial comments about Lewis Hamilton ... saying the 3-time champion was wrong to use the language he did, but insisting his girlfriend's father is not a racist.

"Everyone is against racism, I think it's very straight," Max told reporters ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix.

"I think the wording that was used, even though, of course, we have different kind of cultures and things that were said when they were younger, is not correct."

As we previously reported, Piquet was discussing an accident between Hamilton and Verstappen at the 2021 British Grand Prix in an interview with Motorsports Talk ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

Piquet has since apologized ... but adamantly denied any racial intent behind his comment, saying it was a term used in Brazilian Portuguese to mean "guy" or "person."

Max backs the man up ... saying he's known Nelson to be a good man.

"I've spent a bit of time with Nelson," said Max -- who's dating Piquet's daughter, Kelly. "And, he's definitely not a racist and he's actually a really nice and relaxed guy."

Verstappen says the backlash can be a lesson for all people to keep from using the word in question ... calling it "very offensive."

As for Nelson's ban from the F1 paddock ... Max is against the punishment.

"When you ban people, you are actually not helping the situation," Verstappen said.

Former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone just gave an eyebrow-raising endorsement of Vladimir Putin ... calling the Russian president a "first-class person" and claiming he'd "take a bullet" for him.

The controversial comments came during Ecclestone's appearance on Good Morning Britain ... when the billionaire was asked if he still supports his friend amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I'd still take a bullet for him," 91-year-old Ecclestone said Thursday. "I'd rather it didn’t hurt, but if it does I'd still take a bullet, because he’s a first-class person. What he’s doing is something that he believed was the right thing he was doing for Russia."

Pretty interesting take, considering many want to see Putin dead.

Ecclestone also went after Volodymyr Zelenskyy ... claiming the Ukrainian president should have done more on his end to prevent the war.

"The other person in Ukraine," Ecclestone added. "His profession, I understand, he used to be a comedian. And I think he seems as if he wants to continue that profession."

"I think if he'd have thought about things, he would have definitely made the big enough effort to speak to Mr. Putin, who is a sensible person and would have listened to him and could have probably done something about it."

F1 distanced itself from his comments shortly after the interview ... saying, "The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in very stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport."

Draymond Green is sharing his regret over calling Kendrick Perkins a "c**n" ... admitting he should have used a different word to get his point across while beefing with the ex-NBA player/current analyst.

The 4-time champ and Perk had been chirping at each other for a while, but things took a serious turn earlier this week when Green referred to the ESPN talent as the racial term ... which prompted Perk to respond with a fiery video on Instagram that's since been deleted.

The Warriors star says he spoke with NBA commish Adam Silver and lifelong friend/Pistons legend Joe Dumars over his comments ... and he now has a better understanding of why he was in the wrong, even though he didn't have any racial intent behind it.

"I'm no idiot, I do understand the word c**n is used in a racial way," Green said on his podcast. "However, I also think growing up, culturally, things are different. We all grow up in different places, we all use words different, and so for me, when I use the word – like I said, I could have very well replaced it with clown – growing up where I grew up, you may say to one of your boys 'Yo, stop acting like a c**n.'"

"And for me, it's like, 'stop acting corny, you're on some weird-type stuff," he added. "'That's wack, you don't have to do that, that's wack.' So for me, in using the word, that's what I was implying."

Green says using the word is "a huge moment for growth and learning for me" as a member of the "new" media ... and understands he represents the league as a whole when he takes the mic.

"And, as someone who stands against racism, who you know has stood against it for years and is not afraid to get out in front of it, I can admit right here that I was wrong. And, regardless of how I may use the word with my friends or how that word may be perceived anywhere else in the world, it was wrong here."

R. Kelly has just been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison following his conviction for 9 federal charges, including sex crimes and human trafficking.

The disgraced singer was in the federal courthouse Wednesday in Brooklyn when Judge Ann M. Donnelly announced his sentence ... bringing a close to one of the U.S. Attorney's Office's highest-profile criminal prosecutions in years.

Kelly's known he could get 10 years to life since he was convicted last September on all 9 counts. He declined to give a statement during sentencing.

As we reported, federal prosecutors had recommended no less than 25 years in prison based on the severity of Kelly's crimes.

Kelly's trial had taken just over a month, and his attorneys seemed overmatched in court -- federal prosecutors called for more witnesses than the defense.

Kelly's legal team called on a handful of ex-Kelly employees and associates -- all saying, under oath, they never saw Kelly abuse anyone.

Prosecutors, however, brought dozens of witnesses to the stand, poking holes in that claim ... some said Kelly had managers, bodyguards and assistants who rounded up his potential victims before the singer groomed them for unwanted sex, among other things.

Kelly himself never took the stand.

We spoke with one of Kelly's victims, Lizzette Martinez, who told us he's more than earned a life sentence ... she says the guy's proven multiple times he's using his power to get what he wants, and he shouldn't be given the chance to prey on women again.

Former Formula 1 champ Nelson Piquet is apologizing for the controversial comments he made about Lewis Hamilton in an interview last year ... but claims there was zero racial intent behind his words.

Piquet was discussing an accident between the Mercedes superstar and his daughter's boyfriend, Max Verstappen, after the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when, according to a translation by CNN Brazil, he referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****."

The 69-year-old says he would never use such a disgusting term ... claiming the translation was completely inaccurate.

"What I said was ill-thought-out, and I make no defense for it, but the term used has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and was never intended to offend," Piquet said in a statement Wednesday morning.

"I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations," he added. "I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin color. I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone affected."

Piquet praises Lewis as an incredible driver and apologized for the hurt he caused ... saying, "Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect."

Lewis has yet to respond to the apology ... but tweeted a call for change within the sport on Tuesday.

"It’s more than language," the 7-time champion said. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was brought to tears after seeing Brittney Griner in shackles on Monday -- telling reporters it made her sick to her stomach.

Wilson made the comments just hours after Griner was seen in handcuffs and flanked by guards while at a court in Russia ... getting choked up while talking about it following her game against the L.A. Sparks on Monday night.

"I hated seeing it," Wilson said. "It made my stomach turn."

"That's our sister and I can't imagine what she's going through and I pray every single day that the people that are in high up are doing what they need to do to get her home because it's unacceptable."

The 25-year-old baller prayed the ordeal doesn't put a toll on Griner -- not just physically, but mentally as well.

Griner has been in Russian custody since February -- after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Donald Trump was not only in on the January 6th insurrection, he wanted to lead the insurrectionists to the Capitol, and when the Secret Service refused to drive him there, Trump tried to grab the wheel of the Presidential car ... this according to Mark Meadows' right hand aide, Cassidy Hutchinson.

Her testimony is shocking ... the January 6th House Committee called a special session so she could appear and tell her story about the events leading up to the riot.

Hutchinson testified ... Trump became aware on January 6th people in the crowd had weapons and were approaching the Capitol without going through security. She says she overhead Trump respond, "I don't f***ing care if they have weapons. They're not here to hurt me."

She went on to say Trump ordered the Secret Service to remove the metal detector from the area around his speech, presumably so armed protesters would be unfettered to approach the Capitol.

After Trump spoke to the crowd, he got back into The Beast (the presidential limo) and ordered the driver to take him up to the Capitol. The head of the security detail refused to take him, saying it was unsafe. She says Trump responded, "I'm the f***ing President! Take me up to the Capitol now."

When the head of security refused, she says Trump reached forward and grabbed the steering wheel and had to be physically restrained.

She says he then lunged at the head of security and allegedly attempted to go for his throat. Trump was again restrained and the limo proceeded back to The White House.

Hutchinson also testified Trump would often become enraged, throwing plates, pushing over chairs when things didn't go his way.

Trump has taken to his Truth Social platform in an attempt to discredit Hutchinson's testimony ... saying he didn't even know who she was -- and assuming she was only angry with him after being denied permission to travel with staff on a trip to Florida.

Juri Vips has just been fired by Red Bull Racing ... less than two weeks after the F2 driver was captured using a racial slur on a hot mic on a video game stream.

RBR just made the announcement, saying after completing its investigation into the junior driver, it decided to terminate Vips' contract.

"The team do not condone any form of racism," RBR said in their announcement Tuesday.

Red Bull Racing initially launched its probe into Vips last week ... after the 21-year-old used the n-word while playing "Call of Duty" on a live stream.

Vips did apologize following the incident ... saying in a statement on his social media page, "This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set."

Tommy Fury's fight with Jake Paul could go up in smoke ... after TNT claims he was denied entry into the United States ahead of their scheduled press conference in New York.

Just when it seemed like the bout was FINALLY going to happen, Tommy shared the crappy news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying his team showed up at Heathrow Airport to hop over the pond ... but they were shut down.

"As soon as I entered the airport, I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know," Tommy said in a video.

Tommy, boxing superstar Tyson Fury's younger brother, went on to say he's done nothing wrong ... and claims he's totally dumbfounded as to why he's not allowed to travel to the U.S.

"I've been training for a fight this whole time and that's all I've been doing," Tommy said. "I have no clue why I'm not allowed to travel and neither does my team or my lawyers."

"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team."

As we reported, Tommy and Jake agreed to fight each other at the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- in NYC on Aug. 6 ... but Tommy says the issues he's currently facing are bigger than the fight.

What's interesting -- Tommy was able to travel to California last month without issue ... something his nemesis pointed out.

Of course, this isn't going to sit well with fans who've been clamoring for the two boxers to fight after years of trash talk and failed negotiations.

The presser between Tommy and Jake was originally scheduled for Wednesday ... but it's been postponed, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

Despite the travel mishap, Jake isn't letting Tommy off the hook easily ... tweeting, "Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I'm going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out."

Verstappen's GF, Kelly, has apparently made her stance clear ... liking an Instagram post defending Nelson's use of the word.

Lewis Hamilton is demanding change after former champion Nelson Piquet called him the n-word in an interview last year ... saying racism of any kind has no place in Formula 1.

Piquet -- a Brazilian F1 legend who won titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987 -- made the comments while discussing an accident in the first lap of the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when Hamilton made contact with Max Verstappen, leading the Red Bull driver to lose control and crash into the wall.

According to CNN Brazil, 69-year-old Piquet referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****" while speaking with Motorsports Talk ... adding, "The little black guy put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner."

"He made a joke," Piquet continued. "Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got f***** up."

FYI -- Piquet's daughter, Kelly, is in a relationship with Verstappen.

While the comment was made last year, it is just now gaining attention ... which led the Mercedes superstar to condemn the racist comment.

"It's more than language," Lewis tweeted minutes ago. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I've been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life."

"There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Hamilton, 37, also tweeted a response in Portuguese ... saying, "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade" ... which translates to "Let's focus on changing the mindset."

The F1 world is now showing support for Hamilton ... with the sport's governing body releasing a statement Tuesday morning.

"The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which have no place in sport or wider society."

"We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motorsport."

F1 also addressed the comment ... saying, "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society."

"Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."

Hamilton -- the only black driver to compete in F1 -- has been at the forefront of change in the sport ... and led the organization's anti-racism campaign following George Floyd's death in 2020.

WWE superstar Liv Morgan is donating cash to an abortion rights org ... just three days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The wrestler announced on Monday that every dollar she earns in July from her Cameo appearances will go toward the National Network of Abortion Funds -- an org. set up to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.

The money could end up being significant -- the 28-year-old is a huge star in the wrestling world, and she's charging $555 per video.

"Please consider booking a cameo from me so we can ensure every woman around the world has a choice," she said in her announcement.

Liv, who's been wrestling in the WWE since 2014, added a heart emoji as well.

Worth noting -- Linda McMahon recently praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade ... saying, "Today is a historic day! After decades of fighting for innocent lives, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade."

Vladimir Putin is showing no mercy ... disgustingly firing missiles into a Ukraine shopping mall, and video following the attack shows the building -- with nearly 1,000 civilians inside -- up in flames.

Two Russian missiles were reportedly fired Monday into the shopping center, in the central city of Kremenchuk. According to officials, at least 3 are dead and 40 others are wounded. But, President Zelenskyy says, "It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims."

As you can see, the harrowing attack sparked a huge fire and caused a huge cloud of smoke to fill up the sky ... as soldiers and firefighters sifted through the rubble to search for survivors.

Zelensky confirmed the obvious ... that the mall held no military importance, and was not even near any other military target. Quite frankly, as Ukrainian officials put it ... the attack was a downright "act of terrorism against civilians".

Zelensky called it an effort by Russia to stop “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.”

Russia, on the other hand, has denied attacking innocent civilians since first launching the war on Ukraine, back in February.

"I would say 'kiss my ass,' but y'all can't afford it."

Sha'Carri Richardson gave an unfiltered message to all of her haters after failing to qualify for the world championships next month ... giving the double bird and vowing to return to dominance.

It all went down after the track star finished fifth with a time of 22.47 seconds at the 200-meter semifinals on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon ... which eliminated her from competing for Team USA at the 2022 World Athletics Championship.

The 22-year-old sprinter made sure to let her critics know she's blocking out all the negativity shortly after her disappointing outing ... and she didn't hold back.

"I normally don't be making video to post on here 'cause I really don't got nothing to explain to y'all," Richardson said on Instagram.

"But, to my supporters, I wanna thank y'all. It's been a long road. Ain't over yet. To my haters, I got another video for y'all."

Sha'Carri wasn't lying, because she posted a video laying on her back and spreading her legs ... basically telling all her haters they can "kiss my ass."

The critics weren't the only ones receiving the heat from Richardson ... she also went at the media about respecting athletes following her race.

"Be more understanding of the fact that they are still human, no matter just to the fact that y'all are just trying to get something to put out in an article to make a dollar. Thank you."

Of course, Richardson has been making headlines ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics controversy ... when she was banned for 30 days and missed the games after testing positive for marijuana.