January 18, 2018


News and Views


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spending-bill-house-passes-short-term-bill-today-faces-senate-vote-government-shutdown/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS January 18, 2018, 9:58 PM
House passes government funding bill but Senate delays

Video – CBS News
Video – Trump on potential shutdown

The House on Thursday passed a GOP-backed short-term spending bill that would fund the government through Feb. 16. The Senate debated the bill, but ultimately voted to adjourn until Friday at 11 a.m., leaving the Senate only one day before the government shuts down.

If lawmakers don't extend funding by Friday night, the government will shut down early Saturday. It would be the first government shutdown since 2013.

On the Senate floor, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Republicans and Democrats don't want a shutdown, blaming the situation on the president's shifting opinions and pitting Congress against the president.

"The only person who's ever rooted for a shutdown frankly is our president," Schumer said, referencing a presidential tweet from May 2017 in which Mr. Trump suggested the country "needs a good shutdown."

Following the 230-197 vote in the House, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan urged Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to not shut down the government. Mr. Trump has said Democrats would be to blame in a shutdown.

"The only people standing in the way of keeping the government open are Senate Democrats," Ryan said.

This marks the fourth short-term spending bill Congress has had on its plate since September. Democrats, however, remain largely opposed to the measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), because they want it tied to a larger immigration deal over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and border security.

The CR includes a six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and delays on three Obamacare taxes. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus said a majority of its members had voted to approve the measure, making passage more certain.

Democrats would be to blame, Ryan said earlier Thursday, if the government winds up shutting down, blasting them for using the military as "bargaining chips."

The bill's fate in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance the legislation to a final vote, is much more uncertain. Republicans only have 51 members and Democrats now have 49, with the new addition of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama.

Schumer said Thursday morning that the House CR would not be acceptable to Senate Democrats. Thursday night, Schumer suggested a much shorter CR — perhaps four or five days — to make time to reach a long-term spending agreement. McConnell rejected that idea.

The government last shut down in October 2013 for 16 days after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, led an unsuccessful effort to defund Obamacare. Republicans went on to retake control of the Senate in the 2014 midterm elections. It's unclear how a government shutdown would affect either party in this year's midterm elections in November.

CBS News' Steven Portnoy and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.


© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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MARRIED MEN ALLOWED TO BE PRIESTS? CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICS WILL SAY “NO, NO, NO,” BUT I SAY IT’S HIGH TIME. AT LEAST HALF OF THE PERVERSE SEXUAL ABUSE CASES INVOLVING PRIESTS WOULD STOP, I SUSPECT, IF THEY WERE ALLOWED A NORMAL SEXUAL LIFE. SEE ALSO THE LIFE ADVICE BY THE POPE WITH THE 10 PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THIS ARTICLE.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pope-francis-priests-married-men-brazil-hopes-raised-a8034651.html
Pope Francis raises hopes for married men becoming priests in Brazil
Shortage of priests across the Amazon's remote communities means Catholic influence has waned
Harriet Agerholm @HarrietAgerholm
Thursday 2 November 2017 21:19 GMT

Photograph -- Pope Francis spoke about the Lord's Prayer on Italian TV Reuters

Pope Francis has reportedly requested that married men in Brazil be allowed to become priests - a controversial move likely to prompt a backlash from conservatives in the Catholic Church

The issue will now be discussed and a vote by bishops in the South American country could now vote on the issue.

The President of the Episcopal Commission for the Amazon, Cardinal Cludio Hummes, reportedly asked the pontiff to consider the move because there is a shortage of ordained ministers in the Amazon's remote communities.

Catholic Church claimed victims consented to sexual abuse

Catholicism has seen its influence wane in the region as evangelical churches have set up.

The viri probati proposal – which allows men of proven faith to carry out some duties – has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under Pope Francis, the first ever Latin American pontiff.

He raised the prospect of lifting the celibacy rule in March, when he told German weekly Die Zeit: "We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities."

The Pope has also said that the principle of celibacy for priests is a discipline, rather than a dogma.

The church already allows some exceptions to priestly celibacy.

Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures 10 show all

Those in the eastern rite Catholic Church are allowed to be married, as are married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism.

It is thought that if successful the pilot project could be extended to other parts of the world, including Africa.

However, the move is likely to anger conservatives in the church, who are already furious about the pontiff's decision to allow divorced people who re-marry to receive communion if their priests or local bishop approve.

POPE FRANCIS GIVES LIFE ADVICE: IN PICTURES 1 THRU 10
Pope Francis' guide to happiness
Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES
Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images



THIS ARTICLE SAYS THAT IT ISN’T 800,000 DACA RESIDENTS, BUT OVER 3,000,000. MAYBE I’M NAIVE, BUT I JUST DON’T SEE HOW IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE TO DEPORT 3.6 MILLION PEOPLE. I WOULD HOPE THAT THE RACIAL/ETHNIC/RELIGIOUS PURISTS WON’T ADOPT METHODS THAT ARE BENEATH THE LEVEL OF OUR HUMANITY. SOMEHOW, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP THEM HERE. WHAT WORRIES ME ISN’T SKIN, BUT JOBS. NOW THAT THE CORPORATISTS ARE REDUCING THE JOBS DAILY BY SENDING THEIR BUSINESSES OVERSEAS AND USING MORE AUTOMATION, THERE WILL BE A TRUE CRISIS ON THAT AND SOON, I’M AFRAID.

IT’S TIME FOR THE BERNIE SANDERS GUARANTEED WAGE TO BE SET UP. OF COURSE, THE SUPERRICH WILL HAVE TO START PAYING MUCH MORE IN TAXES, SUCH AS BY OUR REWRITING THE TAX LAWS SO THAT ASSETS WILL BE TAXED AT AS HIGH A LEVEL, OR MORE, THAN WAGES. FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT NOW I UNDERSTAND THEY ARE TAXED LESS, AND PEOPLE WITH OVER $118,500 IN INCOME DON'T HAVE TO PAY INTO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM, KNOWN AS THE SOCIAL SECURITY TAX CAP. AS OF 2015 IT WAS SET AT $118,500. MANY PEOPLE MAKE MORE THAN THAT NOW, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE, THOUGH THEY CAN WITHDRAW. [HTTP://MANAGESTAFF.COM/2015-SOCIAL-SECURITY-WAGE-CAP-INCREASE/]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/18/there-3-5-m-dreamers-and-most-may-face-nightmare/1042134001/?csp=chromepush
There are 3.6M DREAMers — a number far greater than commonly known
Alan Gomez, USA TODAY Published 2:49 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2018 | Updated 3:47 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2018

VIDEO – Senators urge bipartisan immigration agreement -- A small group of senators spoke on the floor Wednesday, urging their peers to pass what they say is a bipartisan DACA solution before the looming March 5th deadline. (Jan. 17) AP
PHOTOGRAPH -- A small group of senators spoke on the floor Wednesday, urging their peers to pass what they say is a bipartisan DACA solution before the looming March 5th deadline. (Jan. 17) AP
PHOTOGRAPH – AP FATHER DEPORTED A USA MI
Jorge Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. at age 10, was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from Detroit on Jan. 15, 2018, forcing him to return to his native Mexico and leave his wife and children - all U.S. citizens - behind.
(Photo: Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, via AP)

The political debate over the fate of DREAMers — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — has overlooked just how many there are in the country today: about 3.6 million.

That huge number of people whose lives risk being uprooted is not widely known, in large part because so much public attention has been focused recently on 800,000 mostly young DREAMers accepted into the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

This smaller group of DREAMers is in the spotlight because Trump terminated DACA in September, claiming it was an illegal overreach of executive authority that can only come from Congress, which is negotiating with Trump on a compromise immigration plan.

While many politicians use DREAMer and DACA interchangeably, "that's not a distinction without a difference," said House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

The 3.6 million estimate of undocumented immigrants brought to U.S. before their 18th birthday comes from the Migration Policy Institute, a non-profit research group that promotes better understanding of immigration issues. That is roughly a third of all undocumented immigrants in the country and does not include millions of their immediate family members who are U.S. citizens.

A number so large raises the stakes for both sides in the dispute over whether to deport DREAMers, allow them to stay under prescribed conditions or provide them with a path to citizenship.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, said exposing millions of DREAMers to deportations would be a moral and economic calamity.

"At a time when our economy is growing and our labor market is extremely tight, these are all folks of working age who have skills to immediately contribute," Noorani said. "We would be spending billions of dollars to remove folks who have the potential to help the country grow."

On the other side is Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Status, which favors lower levels of immigration. He argues for only extending protections for the 800,000 in DACA. "It's not like they're entitled to anything, but prudence suggests an extraordinary act of mercy," he said. "Amnesty is warranted for them alone, at least this time."

In exchange for DREAMer protections, Republicans want enhanced border security, the end of a "diversity" visa program for people from under-represented countries, including several from Africa, and a reduction in relatives that U.S. citizens can sponsor for visas.

The impact of what may happen to DREAMers was highlighted this week when Jorge Garcia, 39, a Detroit landscaper who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years, was deported back to his native Mexico even though he arrived in the country when he was 10 years. Garcia, whose wife and two children are all U.S. citizens, did not qualify for DACA because he was just over the age limit.

To qualify for DACA, created in 2012, DREAMers had to undergo a thorough background check, prove they arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday, were 30 or younger, were attending school or in the military, and had not committed a felony or serious misdemeanor. The program provided work permits and two-year reprieves from deportation that could be renewed.

Cecilia Muñoz, Obama's domestic policy director, said he chose to protect a limited number of DREAMers because he could go only so far through executive action. Now that Congress is involved, Muñoz said, far more DREAMers should be protected.

"The right policy is to be as generous as possible," Muñoz said. "We know the success of DACA. It's good for the country, and this has overwhelming support around the country from people on both sides of the aisle. There's no reason to limit who is eligible."

There are several legislative proposals that each protect different numbers of DREAMers. Some deal only with those who entered the country before their 16th birthday. Others set age limits and include education or military requirements and clean criminal records.

According to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute:

--The most generous proposal is the American Hope Act introduced by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., which would provide legal status to 3.5 million DREAMers, excluding only a small group who pose public safety threats.

--Another plan known as the DREAM Act presented to Trump by a bipartisan group of senators last week would allow 2.1 million to stay in the country.

"There is support across the country for allowing Dreamers — who have records of achievement — to stay, work, and reach their full potential," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said. "We should not squander these young people’s talents and penalize our own nation."

More: GOP leaders push another short-term spending bill as shutdown looms
More: ICE defends deportation of immigrant in U.S. nearly 30 years
More: The four big fights Trump and Congress must resolve to avert a government shutdown

--Other proposals from Republicans would protect up to 1.7 million immigrants.

--The most restrictive proposals would provide legal status only to the 798,980 people approved for DACA.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said it will not deport former DACA recipients if their protections expire. But under Trump's orders, it will arrest any undocumented immigrant agents come across. The percentage of undocumented immigrants without criminal records arrested by ICE has increased dramatically since Trump took office.

If Congress does not strike a deal by March 5, DACA enrollees will begin losing their deportation protections and work permits.



IS THIS HORRIFIC FAMILY SITUATION POSSIBLE? IF IT IS TRUE, BOTH ADULTS (I HESITATE TO CALL THEM PARENTS) SHOULD SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES IN PRISON WEARING HAIR SHIRTS. THEY’RE SO HIGHLY RELIGIOUS, THEY SHOULDN’T MIND THAT.

IT’S SAD WORLD WHEN THIS CAUTION HAS TO BE ISSUED: “ALL GOFUNDME CAMPAIGNS THAT CLAIM THEY BENEFIT THE SIBLINGS ARE FAKE, CPS SAID.”

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/parents-accused-holding-13-children-captive-appear-court-171008421--abc-news-topstories.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=d9780ae9-562b-3ef5-9d83-c17f2088b031&.tsrc=notification-brknews
13 captive siblings forced to shower once a year, strangled, subject to frequent beatings: Prosecutor
Good Morning America
EMILY SHAPIRO
Good Morning America
January 18, 2018

-- Prosecutors revealed grisly details in a press conference today about the captive siblings case out of California.
-- The brothers and sisters were subject to repeated beatings, including strangulation, and were punished by being chained up, often for weeks or months at a time, prosecutors said.
-- The victims weren't released from their chains even to go to the bathroom and were only allowed to shower once a year, according to prosecutors.
-- The children were rescued Sunday after a 17-year-old escaped and alerted authorities to what was happening.
-- Prosecutors said the teen plotted the escape with her siblings for two years.

The California parents accused of starving and shackling their 13 children allegedly forced them to shower only once a year, never took them to a dentist, and strangled and beat them routinely, prosecutors said today.

David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, were arrested on charges of torture and child endangerment after their children were found Sunday at their home. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office described the residence as "dark and foul-smelling."

The "depraved" details were shared in a press conference led by Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin today.

The abuse intensified when the family moved from Texas to California, Hestrin said. The victims reported that the punishments started many years ago with their parents tying them up, first with ropes. When one victim was able to escape the ropes, "these defendants eventually began using chains and padlocks," Hestrin said.

PHOTO: An investigation is underway in Perris, Calif., after 13 siblings ages 2 to 29 were allegedly held captive in a home, some shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks, authorities said. (ABC News)
PHOTO: An investigation is underway in Perris, Calif., after 13 siblings ages 2 to 29 were allegedly held captive in a home, some shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks, authorities said. (ABC News)

The punishments lasted weeks or months at a time, he said.

The victims weren't released from their chains even to go to the bathroom, Hestrin said. They were also not allowed to shower more than once a year, he said.

If the children washed their hands above the wrist, they were accused of playing in the water and were chained up, Hestrin said. None have ever seen a dentist and they haven't been to a doctor in over four years, he added.

PHOTO: Louise and David Turpin were arrested in the torture and child endangerment case in Perris, Calif. (David Allen Turpin/Facebook)

Siblings allegedly held captive were robotic, marched for hours in circles, former neighbor says

What's next for 13 siblings allegedly starved, held captive in parents' home
13 siblings held captive 'hopeful that life will get better' after rescue: Official
13 siblings ages 2 to 29 'held captive' by parents, some shackled, officials say

Grandparents of shackled children say 'God called on' parents to have so many kids

The children were not allowed to have toys, although many toys were found in the house in their original packaging, never opened, Hestrin said.

The family would "sleep all day" and be "up all night," typically going to sleep around 4 or 5 a.m., he said.

The children were rescued Sunday after one of the children -- a 17-year-old girl -- allegedly escaped through a window and called 911. Responding officers said the teen was slightly emaciated and "appeared to be only 10 years old."

Hestrin said the 17-year-old worked on a plan to escape for more than two years with her siblings. He said another sibling escaped with her, but that sibling became afraid and returned to the house.

When authorities arrived, three victims were discovered chained up, Hestrin said, adding that the Turpins managed to get two victims unchained before deputies entered. He said a 22-year-old old remained chained to the bed when officials came inside.

PHOTO: Louise and David Turpin were arrested in the torture and child endangerment case in Perris, Calif. (David Allen Turpin/ Facebook)

All the victims are severely malnourished, Hestrin said, adding that the eldest victim -- a 29-year-old woman -- weighs only 82 pounds. He said another child, a 12-year-old, is the weight of an average 7-year-old.

The victims have since been hospitalized for treatment. Doctors told ABC News the siblings were starved for years.

Child Protective Services said it is receiving calls from around the world from people who want to help the siblings financially. Because the agency does not want the siblings to be taxed for the money they receive, it is setting up a fund for them to go through the Riverside County Regional Medical Center Foundation. All GoFundMe campaigns that claim they benefit the siblings are fake, CPS said.

The agency also listed the clothes that are needed for the adult patients, which are almost all in children's sizes, a graphic released by Corona Chamber of Commerce showed.

Criminal charges were filed today against the parents, including torture. The Turpins are expected to be arraigned today, where they will be represented by attorneys with the Riverside County Public Defender's Office.

If convicted on all charges, they face up to 94 years to life in prison, officials said.


THIS ARTICLE GIVES A CLOSEUP OF THE TURPIN FAMILY

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/16/thirteen-siblings-found-chained-starving-california-home-say/
Thirteen siblings 'held captive' by parents in Perris, California: 'Deeply religious' couple arrested on torture charges
By Harriet Alexander, perris, california Rozina Sabur
16 JANUARY 2018 • 11:46PM

Photograph -- David and Louise Turpin joined by their children - wearing matching outfits - as they renewed their wedding vows in 2015 CREDIT: FACEBOOK

The American couple who allegedly tortured and imprisoned their 13 children were Elvis fanatics who believed “God called on them” to give birth so many times.

David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were said to have forced their children to memorise passages of the Bible during “very strict” home schooling sessions.

Family members were reportedly kept away, with the children’s grandparents saying they had not seen them for around five years and an aunt saying she had not visited for 19 years.

The couple had their vows renewed by an Elvis impersonator three times, often with their children identically dressed looking on, according to photographs and footage.

The family had also filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and were said to have racked up debts of up to $500,000 despite Mr Turpin’s job as an engineer earning $140,000 a year.

Police custody images of David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin

Police custody images of David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin CREDIT: JOSE ROMERO /AFP/GETTY

Children lived in 'filthy' and 'foul-smelling' house

The details emerged as a shocked America attempted to understand how an apparently mild-mannered middle-aged couple had allegedly committed such a heinous crime.

The pair have been charged with nine counts of torture and 10 of child endangerment after being arrested at their home in Perris, California.

It followed a dramatic rescue of thirteen children aged between 2 and 29 who were discovered starving and some chained to items of furniture in the “filthy” and “foul-smelling” house.

Police only made the discovery after a 17-year-old girl fled the property through a window, stole a mobile phone and alerted officers to the children’s plight. She was so emaciated police thought she was only 10.

David Allen Turpin and 49-year-old Louise Anna Turpin

David Allen Turpin and his wife Louise Anna Turpin in a picture posted on Facebook CREDIT: FACEBOOK

On arriving at the middle-class bungalow in Perris, a town of 70,000 situated 15 miles outside Riverside, they found the children kept in dark, squalid and stench-filled conditions. Some were shackled to their beds.

Many appeared far younger than their age because of the horrific conditions they appear to have been kept in, according to officials investigating the case.

The children are now being treated for malnutrition.

MOTHER 'PERPLEXED' BY POLICE INVOLVEMENT

Greg Fellows, Riverside County sheriff's captain, revealed that Mrs Turpin had appeared "perplexed" as to why police were present at her home.

"The conditions were horrific," he said.

The children are all believed to be the Turpins' biological offspring, authorities said.

Mr Fellows said the investigation has so far found no indication of sexual abuse but that the conditions amounted to torture.

"If you can imagine being a 10-year-old and being chained to a bed ... I would call that torture," he said.

Mr Fellows praised the "bravery" of the teenager who managed to flee the house of horrors "through a window".

"I am very saddened to report on such a heartbreaking case," he said.

"Just before 6am a 17-year-old called deputies from a deactivated phone...she explained she had escaped through a window.

"She also showed some photos which proved what she was saying was accurate."

A spokeswoman from the county's social services department said that the children appeared to have been held for a "prolonged period of time".

But Mr Fellows added: "They've been through a very traumatic ordeal. They're very friendly, they're very cooperative and they're hopeful that life will get better".

Children attended Elvis wedding vows renewal

Until the summer of 2016 the family’s activities were well-documented on Facebook; photos showed trips to the beach and to visit Father Christmas, and a smiling clan at Disneyland, wearing matching outfits.

The last photos posted, in July 2016, showed the clan gathered in what appeared to be Las Vegas, with an Elvis impersonator performing their vow renewal ceremony.

David and Louise Turpin renew their wedding vows at an Elvis chapel on their 30th anniversary on October 31, 2015 CREDIT: ELVIS CHAPEL/YOUTUBE

It was the third time they had been photographed with the exact same Elvis, in the exact same outfits, at the Elvis Chapel in Downtown Las Vegas – Mrs Turpin’s changing hairstyles being the only difference.

Kent Ripley, the Elvis impersonator at the chapel, said he was "still disturbed" by the reports of abuse. "I mean they were sitting right around here three different times," he told Fox5 Vegas, indicating the rows of empty chairs in the chapel.

David and Louise Turpin renew their vows at Elvis chapel in Las Vegas

The Elvis impersonator serenades the couple during the ceremony CREDIT: ELVIS CHAPEL/YOUTUBE

"[The Turpins] seemed to care about each other and care about the kids. They seemed to smile, the kids were smiling they didn't hide behind themselves, they were very quiet."

David and Louise Turpin renew their vows at Elvis chapel in Las Vegas
The couple stare into each other's eyes as their children look on CREDIT: ELVIS CHAPEL/YOUTUBE

The family outings appear to have all stopped last July – five months after Mrs Turpin’s mother, Phyllis Robinette, died aged 66 in Princeton, West Virginia.

Shortly before she died, Mrs Robinette wrote on Facebook: “Would love to come and see you all.”

Sister: 'something was not right'

Mrs Turpin was one of six siblings, living as far afield as Guam, Georgia and Tennessee.

HER SISTER, ELIZABETH FLORES, AN AUTHOR, HAS PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN ABOUT BEING ABUSED AS A CHILD.

ON TUESDAY SHE CLAIMED SHE HAD NOT SEEN HER SISTER IN 19 YEARS BUT KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS "NOT RIGHT" WITH HER PARENTING STYLE.

She added that she was never allowed to visit her sister or speak to her nieces and nephews.

THE 41-YEAR-OLD, WHO LIVES IN CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE, TOLD DAILYMAILTV: "SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT ABOUT HER PARENTING BUT NEVER WOULD I HAVE EXPECTED IT TO BE LIKE THIS".

David and Louise Turpin with the their children

David Turpin poses with his children wearing matching Dr Seuss book-inspired outfits in April 2016 CREDIT: FACEBOOK

"We have been so worried about them because it's been so strange but there was nothing we could do. They wouldn't let anyone visit and we didn't know their address. I haven't seen her in 19 years. We would talk on the phone from time to time, but every time I would ask to talk to her kids, she wouldn't let me.

"My parents booked several flights to go see them but when they got there they wouldn't tell them where to go and my parents left crying every time. It's just heartbreaking and I'm so embarrassed about all of this."

Couple believed 'God called on them' to have so many children

Mr Turpin’s parents James and Betty, who live in West Virginia, described their son and his wife as being "deeply religious" and believing God had "called on them" to have so many children.

They were in the Pentecostal faith, the parents added.

David and Louise Turpin with their children

David and Louise Turpin with their children on a family outing CREDIT: FACEBOOK

They told ABC News that their grandchildren, whom they had not seen in around five years, were given "very strict home-schooling" and would memorise long passages in the Bible.

In March 2011, Mr Turpin registered in state records as head of a private school, the Sandcastle Day School, with its address that of the family home. The school only had six students.

House in a middle-class neighbourhood with four vehicles outside

Despite there being four cars parked outside, neighbours said they rarely saw the children outside the home, and were stunned to hear that 13 were living inside.

a home on 100 Block of Muir Woods Road, in Perris, Calif.

The home in Perris, California, where the children were discovered CREDIT: MARCUS YAM /LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY

Some local residents said they sometimes saw some of the children come outside to work on the lawn together and then go back in together at the same time.

Perris Los Angeles

Neighbours outside the home as the police investigation is launched CREDIT: MARCUS YAM /LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY

One neighbour said: “They were very pale-skinned, almost like they'd never seen the sun. It was mostly girls. Kind of small-framed, kind of tiny. Almost looked a little malnutritioned (sic)."

In 2011 the couple were declared bankrupt, with records showing that Mr Turpin was then working as an engineer for a defence contractor earning $140,000 a year, while his wife was listed as a homemaker.

Riverside County had become an emblem of bankruptcy and foreclosure during the depths of the recent recession, and court documents showed that the Turpins owed between $100,000 and $500,000.

Ivan Trahan, the bankruptcy lawyer, told The New York Times that the parents spoke often about their children, although the youngsters never visited his law offices.

The Turpins - along with extended family members - on a trip to Disneyland in California in 2011 CREDIT: FACEBOOK

“They spoke about them highly,” he said, adding that Mrs Turpin told him that the family loved Disneyland in Southern California and visited often.

“We remember them as a very nice couple. This is shocking.”

Sophia Grant, a child abuse pediatrician who is treating the 13 children, suggested they may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following their ordeal.

Mr Turpin and Mrs Turpin are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Centre in Riverside, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, unable to provide the $9 million bail each set by the judge. On Thursday the couple will appear in court in Riverside.

The children remain in hospital undergoing treatment and child services will now seek a court order to have oversight over the 13 children, including those over the age of 18.

Mark Uffer, the chief executive of Coronal Regional medical centre, said his facility was treating seven of the adult children.

"It's hard to think of them as adults, they are so small," Mr Uffer said, adding that they clearly malnourished but stable and very friendly.

Video: Elvis impersonator conducts ceremony

Photograph -- Turpins renew wedding vows at Elvis Chapel



RACHEL MADDOW REPORTS

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/18/18
Russian money ties to NRA under FBI scrutiny
Greg Gordon, investigative reporter for McClatchy DC, talks with Rachel Maddow about news that the FBI is looking into whether Russian money was funneled to the Trump campaign through the NRA. Duration: 11:42


WILLIAM BURCK, ATTORNEY IS REPRESENTING THREE PEOPLE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ON THE CONGRESSIONAL AND THE MUELLER INQUIRIES. BANNON SUBPOENAED BY MUELLER

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/17/18
Mueller subpoena blocks Bannon congressional testimony: NBC News
Rachel Maddow reports on new details about how Mueller's subpoena prevents Steve Bannon from testifying fully to Congress, and the questions surrounding the peculiar way that Bannon was subpoenaed by both Robert Mueller and the House Intel Committee. Duration: 20:18


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/17/18
Rep. Schiff: White House playing games with Bannon testimony
Representative Adam Schiff talks with Rachel Maddow about the different treatment that Steve Bannon is receiving from the White House and Trump Russia investigations, and why. Duration: 7:57


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/16/18
Robert Mueller, House Intel subpoena Steve Bannon on same day
Rachel Maddow reports on the subpoenas served to Steve Bannon by Robert Mueller as well as the House Intelligence Committee and the myriad questions raised about his testimony and what investigators hope to learn from him. Duration: 16:52


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/16/18
What does Mueller's Bannon subpoena say about the investigation?
Chuck Rosenberg, former federal prosecutor, talks with Rachel Maddow about what it might mean that special counsel Robert Mueller served Steve Bannon with a subpoena instead of asking him for an informal interview like others in Donald Trump's inner circle gave. Duration: 9:00


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/16/18
Steve Bannon will 'tell all' to Robert Mueller: report
Betsy Woodruff, political reporter for The Daily Beast, talks with Rachel Maddow about breaking news that Steve Bannon will speak freely to special counsel Robert Mueller because the executive privilege that prevented him from speaking to House Intel does not apply to a Mueller grand jury. Duration: 6:47


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/15/18
Sketchy Kazakh money finds its way into Trump dealings
Rachel Maddow reports on three stories from Kazakhstan where corrupt schemes took lots of money out of the country, with some of it ended up in Trump business circles. Duration: 20:00