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Two of the Turpin sisters, who along with their 11 siblings were held captive by their parents for years, have spoken out about the “hell” they endured. 

Disturbing details of the family of fifteen only came to light after Jordan, then 17, escaped their home in Perris, California in 2018 and called 911 using a deactivated mobile phone.

Responding officers initially thought she was ten years old because she was so emaciated.

David and Louise Turpin are being investigated over torture and child endangerment
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David and Louise Turpin were jailed for life in 2019

In an interview, airing on ABC on 19 November, Jordan talks about having the courage to escape.

“My whole body was shaking. I couldn’t really dial 911,” she said.

“I think it was us coming so close to death so many times.

“It was a literally a now or never. If something happened to me, at least I died trying.”

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The interview includes previously unseen bodycam footage of the moment police raided the Turpin household.

When police entered what became known as the “house of horrors”, they found 12 children aged between two and 29, some shackled to their beds, malnourished and dirty.

The Turpins on their wedding day in 2016
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The Turpins on their wedding day in 2016

Punishments inflicted by the parents included being beaten, choked, and chained to their beds with no access to the bathroom for months at a time.

“Mother, she choked me and I thought I was going to die,” said Jordan.

Her sister – who is unnamed in the episode preview – added: “The only word I can think to call it is hell.”

The Turpin family
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The Turpin family would take trips to Disneyland and Las Vegas

She continued: “My parents took my whole life from me, but now I am taking my life back.”

The interview comes a year and a half after Louise and David Turpin were sentenced to life in prison, after pleading guilty to 14 counts each of torture, dependent adult abuse, child endangerment, and false imprisonment.

According to prosecutors, the children were given a single rationed meal per day and were only allowed to shower once a year.

The couple’s youngest child appeared to be the only one who was not abused.

David and Louise Turpin would also bake pies but not let them eat, and buy toys but punish the children for touching them.

160 Muir Woods Road in Perris, California, has been given a value in excess of 350,000 dollars. Pic: Hudson and Marshall
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The building became known as the ‘house of horrors’. Pic: Hudson and Marshall

Although they spent most of their time in the house the Turpins would occasionally take family trips, including one where they went to Las Vegas for a vow renewal.

Authorities said only one child, a son, was allowed to leave home to attend classes at a community college but was always accompanied by his mother.

“Escape from a House of Horror – A Diane Sawyer Special Event” airs 19 November on ABC and Hulu.

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There are signs the world is losing faith in the dollar

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There are signs the world is losing faith in the dollar

First he took the US on a collision course with China. Then he came for the rest of the world.

He crashed into the financial markets and now Donald Trump has been gently tapping on the brakes all week.

The world’s economic policymakers have been on quite the journey over the past few months.

Many of them will have felt a little queasy as they got off the plane in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) annual spring meetings.

This was their opportunity to talk. To strategise, strengthen alliances and figure out their next move.

Rachel Reeves was in the mix. While all the focus has been on a US-UK trade deal – and she is due to meet her US counterpart on Friday – the chancellor was also here to meet her G7 and G20 allies.

Countries across the world are eager for Mr Trump to reduce his tariffs but they are also looking to each other, reflecting on how the world might look in the future and whether the US is a reliable long-term partner.

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That much was obvious from a conversation with Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s finance minister and president of the Eurogroup.

He told Sky News that Ireland, a highly US-orientated economy, was diversifying.

That being said, he was “more optimistic than some” that a high level of trade integration would prevail well into the future.

“What I think is very possible is the structure of that globalisation could begin to change,” he said.

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‘We’re confident,’ says Chancellor Reeves

That changing structure might include a rejection of China’s decades-long model of export-led growth.

Since joining the World Trade Organisation in 2001, China has been pumping out cheap goods into the world economy, making far more than it consumes at home.

Poor countries across the world have taken a similar approach to development but the US Treasury secretary said on the sidelines of the IMF on Wednesday that it was “absurd” for multilateral institutions to continue treating China like a developing economy.

He called for a “rebalancing”.

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There is a recognition among world leaders that some of Mr Trump’s grievances are reasonable.

They believe his approach is the wrong one but in interviews they are now talking about the negative consequences of trade imbalances and globalisation – the impact on communities and the undercutting of wages.

That wasn’t the case just a few months ago.

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Ms Reeves took it one step further. On Wednesday, the Treasury announced plans to tackle the dumping of cheap goods into the UK – no doubt aimed at China.

She announced a review of the customs’ treatment of low-value imports.

Currently goods valued at £135 escape the duty. The US has already taken action.

In an interview with Sky News, she said she was acting in the “national interest” but she is also looking for common ground with the Americans, as she seeks a deal that secures a reduction in tariffs.

Speaking to US media on Thursday, she reiterated her shared concerns: “I absolutely understand the concerns the United States have about imbalances in trade in the global economy, particularly when it comes to China that runs large, persistent trade surpluses with countries around the world, including the US and indeed including the United Kingdom.”

The IMF too. While the Fund sharply downgrades global growth forecasts, it shied away from openly criticising the US president.

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IMF slashes UK growth forecast

Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, spoke of an erosion of trust between countries, and “concerns about the uneven distribution of gains from economic integration, its impact on the international division of labour, supply chain security, and global imbalances”.

So, Mr Trump has got policymakers to shift their priorities.

At the very least, he has brought a long-simmering issue to the boil. The world is thinking differently about China now.

The US is also showing signs that it’s thinking differently. After a bruising showdown with the bond markets, Mr Trump has rowed back on his liberation day tariffs.

The administration has softened its language, saying it wants reform and to work with institutions.

The president said tariffs could come down substantially on China.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

However, a lot of damage has already been done – not only his erratic tariffs policy, but also his attack on institutions, including the US Federal Reserve.

The world is now thinking differently about the US too, as are the markets.

Investors normally dive into US assets – government debt and the dollar – during times of turmoil, but Mr Trump’s pronouncement has caused traders to do the opposite.

There are signs that the world is losing faith in the US’ ultimate safe haven status.

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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says US and Moscow moving in ‘right direction’ for Ukraine peace

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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says US and Moscow moving in 'right direction' for Ukraine peace

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the US and Russia are moving in the “right direction” to end the war in Ukraine.

“We are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points – elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned,” Mr Lavrov told CBS News’ Face The Nation show, which will air on Sunday.

“We continue our contacts with the American side on the situation in Ukraine, there are several signs that we are moving in the right direction.”

A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by the Russian airstrike in Kyiv. Pic: AP

It comes after Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv came under the largest attack since July last year with at least 12 people killed and more than 100 injured.

Ukraine’s air force said a total of 215 drones and missiles were launched at the country by Russia on Wednesday night, with Kyiv among the areas worst hit.

Ukrainian officials said rescuers were still recovering bodies from the rubble.

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Trump: ‘I think we’re going to get peace’

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The strikes triggered a reaction by Mr Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform saying: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV.

“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

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The US president was then asked about the Russian attacks while hosting Norway’s prime minister in the Oval Office, and said he “wasn’t happy” but insisted “we’re putting a lot of pressure on Russia”.

He was also asked about Crimea following reports that his peace plan includes the US acknowledging Moscow’s control of the territory.

Mr Trump admitted it would be “very difficult” for Ukraine to get the territory back, but reiterated his belief that “we’re getting close to a deal”.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the US wanted to see both Ukraine and Russia step up to finalise a deal and further discussions were planned for the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated many times that recognising occupied territory as Russia’s is a red line for his country.

Speaking about the airstrikes, he said: “It is very important that everyone in the world sees and understands what is really happening.”

Mr Zelenskyy was on a visit to South Africa when the missiles hit his country, prompting him to cut the trip short.

He said preliminary information indicated that Russia “used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea” and Ukraine’s special services were verifying the details.

He added if the missile was found to have been made in North Korea, it would be further proof “of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang”.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

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Day 96: 'Vladimir STOP!' Will Trump's plea to Putin make a difference?

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As President Donald Trump appears to publicly criticise Vladimir Putin for the first time, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone, along with Sky’s data and economics editor Ed Conway, discuss if it will help or hinder peace talks.

Plus, how does the device you’re listening to this episode on have to do with Trump’s tariffs?

If you’d like to watch Ed’s reporting on how luxury cars are beating Russian sanctions, you can find it here.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the TRUMP100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

Don’t forget, you can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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