United States of America Scoping: The battle over Britney Spears

Wednesday, September 29

Britney Spears supporter Mona Montgomery of Glendale, Calif., demonstrates outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles judge will hear arguments at a hearing Wednesday over removing Spears' father from the conservatorship that controls her life and money and whether the legal arrangement should be ended altogether.

The clock is ticking on a possible government shutdown. And no foreign fans will be allowed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. It's Wednesday's news.

Britney Spears' legal team was back in court over her conservatorship. Congress is still working to avert a government shutdown. And hide those picnic baskets! It's Fat Bear Week.

👋 Hey! It's Laura here, with Wednesday's news, just for you.

But first, knees weak, arms are heavy ... 🍝 Time to go eat "Mom's Spaghetti!" Eminem's long-rumored restaurant has opened a real-life brick-and-mortar location in downtown Detroit.

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🗣 Seven days of 1961: On Wednesday, USA TODAY and Tougaloo College will host a night of music, poetry and discussions. Join us for this free online event: "Freedom Now: How Institutions of Power Fuel and Stall Change."

Britney Spears conservatorship battle back in court

Will Jamie Spears officially be removed? Britney Spears' legal team headed to court again Wednesday for what will likely be a pivotal hearing in the battle over her conservatorship. Coming in the wake of two new documentaries about the agreement that has controlled the pop star's finances and major life decisions for the past 13 years, it's the first hearing in which Spears' chosen attorney will argue on her behalf instead of a court-appointed lawyer. The main issue will likely be the role of her father, Jamie Spears, who has overseen the conservatorship at least in part since 2008. He currently remains co-conservator of her finances, though that may change after this hearing.

•	Do new Britney Spears documentaries help or exploit?
•	'I scratched my head': Britney Spears speaks out on documentary.

Vaccination rates among pregnant people low

Despite evidence that vaccines can prevent the "severe risk" of COVID-19, vaccination rates among those who are pregnant have been low. Only 18% of pregnant people have received a dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while new data show overall racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations are improving, federal numbers show pregnant Black people are the least vaccinated compared to those expecting in other races. Patients giving birth while having COVID-19 had "significantly higher rates" of ICU admission, intubation, ventilation and death, according to a study. Scientists have said vaccines are safe to be taken at any time while pregnant or breastfeeding for both parent and baby.

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A pregnant woman in a mask and gloves waits in line for groceries during a food drive at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Mass.

Charles Krupa/AP

What everyone's talking about

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Clock ticking on government shutdown

Congress hasn't scheduled votes to extend funding the government as the clock ticks down on a shutdown, but leading lawmakers said Congress will likely take action Thursday before the midnight deadline. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the chamber could work quickly to extend funding until early December. The bill would then head to the House for a vote and to President Joe Biden for his signature. Government funding expires with the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30. The House had approved a combined spending extension and increase in the debt limit. But Senate Republicans blocked that measure Monday, arguing that Democrats should raise the debt limit on their own.

•	Nancy Pelosi's ability to mend Democratic differences put to the test.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to an aide following a Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 28, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images

No foreign fans allowed at 2022 Beijing Olympics

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday offered a first glimpse of the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing – including lengthy quarantines for unvaccinated participants and daily COVID-19 testing. The countermeasures are similar to those at the recent Summer Games in some respects and more strict in others. Among the most notable differences: Unlike in Tokyo, where athletes mostly competed behind closed doors, Beijing 2022 organizers have indicated that some Chinese fans will be permitted to attend their Games, as long as they follow protocols. Foreign spectators, including athletes' family members and friends, will once again be barred from attending.

A crew member leaps to fix a logo for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics before a launch ceremony to reveal the motto for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Organizers on Friday announced "Together for a Shared Future" as the motto of the next Olympics, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 4 of next year. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Associated Press

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Hey, Boo Boo! 🐻 It's Fat Bear Week

Guard that pic-a-nic basket, there are chubby cubbies abound this time of year! In honor of Fat Bear Week, which started Wednesday, the Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska is sponsoring an un-bear-lievable bracket, inviting the public to vote on who they think is the heaviest bear of them all. A total of 12 bears are competing for the title. But hey! No fat-shaming, please. It's essential for bears to gain weight this time of year. With winter around the corner, hibernation means they won't be eating for a while. Ready to meet the bears? Check out the burly contenders here.

•	Bears are bulking up to get ready for winter hibernation. Who's the biggest?

Grizzly bear 863, a sow known as "Felicia" in wildlife watching circles, crosses U.S. Highway 26/287 east of Moran, Wyo. Felicia, the mama grizzly bear whose troubles won the hearts of the Internet, has successfully shepherded her cubs through a perilous summer. Her fans miss seeing the little bear family grazing and frolicking along Togwotee Pass. But they hope, for Felicia's sake, is that she will stay out of sight.

Ryan Dorgan/Jackson Hole News & Guide via AP, File

A break from the news

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