Donald Trump ponders North Korean threat to cancel Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un

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President Trump shocked the world, accepting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s invitation to discuss a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. It’s historic and high-stakes.
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration declared Wednesday that it’s up to North Korea to follow through on its threats to cancel a summit with Kim Jong Un, saying the United States remains prepared to meet.

“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters during a photo opportunity with the president of Uzbekistan, adding that he will insist on North Korean “denuclearization” as a condition of talks.

Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said of the North Koreans: “If they want to meet we’ll be ready and if they don’t, that’s OK too.”

Suggesting that the threats by Kim’s government may be pre-summit posturing, Sanders also said, “this is something that we fully expected,” and that the administration remains “hopeful” the June 12 meeting will happen.

Trump and Sanders both said the administration has not received formal notification from the North Koreans about potential problems with the summit.

Hours after protesting U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises, the North Koreans issued a second threat to cancel the Trump-Kim meeting by rejecting the idea that they would unilaterally give up nuclear weapons, saying their country would end up like Libya or Iraq.

“If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit,” said the translated statement attributed to Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea’s first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs.

Trump announced last week he would meet with Kim June 12 in Singapore to discuss an agreement on nuclear weapons. For months, the American president has urged China and other countries to cut off economic aid to North Korea until Kim gives up his weapons programs.

Trump Discloses Cohen Payment, Raising Questions About Previous Omission

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Marilyn L. Glynn, who served as the general counsel at the Office of Government Ethics from 1997 to 2008, said the letter to the Department of Justice is significant and unusual and that if Mr. Trump intentionally filed an inaccurate disclosure last year, he may have violated the law.

But she added that the matter is now unclear — as the referral from the ethics office does not explicitly state that the agency itself has concluded there was a violation and it is hard to know exactly when Mr. Trump learned about the debt.

“What did he know and when did he know it,” she said. “At time he filed it last year, he may not have known this payment was made or that a payment was made at all.”

Mr. Trump’s disclosure of the repaid debt to Mr. Cohen did little to clear up confusion about the total size of the reimbursements. Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s attorney, said earlier this month that Mr. Cohen was paid $460,000 or $470,000 from Mr. Trump, which also included money for “incidental expenses” that he had incurred on Mr. Trump’s behalf.

Mr. Giuliani said Mr. Trump started paying Mr. Cohen back through a series of monthly installments of roughly $35,000 and that those payments began last year and may have carried into this year. The filing released on Wednesday capped the amount Mr. Trump paid back to Mr. Cohen in 2017 at $250,000, leaving more than $200,000 of the amount Mr. Giuliani mentioned unaccounted for.

The disclosure did not preclude the possibility that federal investigators could determine the payment to Ms. Clifford violated campaign finance laws. If they conclude it was made with the intention of influencing the presidential campaign — making it an effective political contribution — it would violate election law, which caps individual donations to federal candidates at $5,400 per election cycle.

Candidates are allowed to spend as much as they want on their own campaigns. And, according to the filing, Mr. Trump paid Mr. Cohen back, making Mr. Cohen’s initial payment a loan. But campaign finance law treats personal loans as contributions and the $5,400 limit would have applied. Public campaign filings are also supposed to account for all loans, contributions and payments; Mr. Trump’s made no mention of the Cohen arrangement.

Uneasy Calm Falls Over Gaza After Israel Kills Scores at Protests

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The White House staunchly defended Israel’s actions, while several nations condemned them, but much of the official reaction around the world was more muted, voicing horror at the bloodshed but not assigning blame.

“I am profoundly alarmed and concerned by the sharp escalation of violence and the number of Palestinians killed and injured in the Gaza protests,” António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, said in a statement on Tuesday. “It is imperative that everyone shows the utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life.”

South Africa and Turkey recalled their ambassadors to Israel in protest, and Turkey also withdrew its ambassador to the United States. On Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador, Eitan Na’eh, and “notified him that it would be appropriate for him to return to his country for a while,” Hami Aksoy, a ministry spokesman, said.

The government of Saudi Arabia, whose icy relations with Israel have thawed in recent years, issued “strong condemnation and denunciation of the deadly targeting of unarmed Palestinians by the Israeli Forces of Occupation,” according to the official news agency S.P.A.

Among major Western powers, there was much criticism of the relocation of the American Embassy, but only President Emmanuel Macron of France directly assailed Israel’s actions.

The Trump administration echoed the Israeli position. “The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas,” Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, told reporters on Monday.

At the U.N., diplomats trade angry talk but take no action.

At the U.N. Security Council meeting on Tuesday, the ambassador from Kuwait — the only Arab nation currently on the council — denounced what he called “a massacre perpetrated by the Israeli authorities.”

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Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi also criticized the Security Council for not agreeing to Kuwait’s request for an independent investigation of the Gaza deaths, adding that his country might instead seek an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Office. Diplomats said that Kuwait had circulated a statement calling for an independent inquiry, which would require unanimous approval, but the United States had disagreed.

Defending Israel, Ambassador Nikki R. Haley of the United States denounced what she called the double standard that other nations applied to Israel. “Who among us would accept this type of activity on your border?” she asked. No country, she said, acted “with more restraint than Israel.”

She said that Hamas had been to blame for inciting protesters to storm the fence, and insisted that there had been no connection between the violence and celebrations on Monday for the opening of the American embassy. President Trump’s recognition of the Israeli position that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, she said, “makes peace more achievable, not less.”

Addressing the council, Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for Middle East peace, found fault with both sides.

“Israel has a responsibility to calibrate its use of force, to not use lethal force, except as a last resort, under imminent threat of death or serious injury,” he said. He added that Hamas “must not use the protests as cover to attempt to place bombs at the fence and create provocations; its operatives must not hide among the demonstrators and risk the lives of civilians.”

Lebanon is also the site of a Palestinian demonstration.

Thousands of Palestinian refugees rallied in southern Lebanon on Tuesday in commemoration of the “Nakba” and in solidarity with the Gaza demonstrations.

Many were bused in from the longstanding refugee camps of Lebanon.

Palestinians have a complicated history with Lebanon. The influx of refugees in 1948 exacerbated Lebanon’s delicate sectarian balance and their presence is often cited as a major contributing factor to Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.

Now, more than 450,000 of five million registered Palestinian refugees worldwide live in Lebanon. Legally, their rights are limited: Palestinians cannot own property or attend public schools, and are banned from working in more than 30 professions.

Reporting was contributed by Isabel Kershner from Nahal Oz, Israel; Declan Walsh from Gaza City; Nick Cumming-Bruce from Geneva; David M. Halbfinger from Jerusalem; Rami Nazzal from Ramallah, West Bank; Nada Homsi from Arnoun, Lebanon; and Richard Pérez-Peña from London.


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North Korea threatens to cancel Trump summit over US nuke demands

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(CNN)North Korea has threatened to abandon planned talks between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in June if Washington insists on pushing it “into a corner” on nuclear disarmament.

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    MUST WATCH

    James Griffiths reported and wrote from Hong Kong. Sophie Jeong reported from Seoul, South Korea. CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Yoonjung Seo, Kevin Liptak, Ryan Brown, Barbara Starr, Laura Koran and Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting.

Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued For Connecticut

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The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for portions of Central New Haven and Middlesex counties until 5:30 p.m. At 507 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Bethany, or near Naugatuck, moving east at 65 mph, the weather service says. Residents in these areas are urged to take cover now.

The storm could produce a tornado and quarter size hail. The impacts include: “Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”

* This dangerous storm will be near…
Wallingford around 510 PM EDT.
Branford and North Haven around 515 PM EDT.
Guilford and Durham around 520 PM EDT.
North Madison around 525 PM EDT.
Chester and East Haddam around 530 PM EDT.

The National Weather Service says, “TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

“Motorists should not take shelter under highway overpasses. If you cannot safely drive away from the tornado, as a last resort, either park your vehicle and stay put, or abandon your vehicle and lie down in a low lying area and protect yourself from flying debris,” the weather service adds.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect until 5:45 p.m. for Southern Connecticut:

At 516 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Tolland to Plainville to near Hamden to Stamford to Kearny to near White House Station, moving east at 50 mph.

HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE…Trained weather spotters and automated surface
observations, with numerous reports of wind damage.

IMPACT…Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

Locations impacted include…
Newark, Jersey City, Jamaica, Yonkers, Paterson, Bridgeport, New Haven, Elizabeth, Stamford, Flatbush, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, New Rochelle and Flushing.

A Tornado Warning is in effect until 5:30 p.m. for Southern Litchfield County:

* At 447 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near New Milford, moving east at 60 mph.

HAZARD…Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT…Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near…
Woodbury Center around 500 PM EDT.
Oakville around 505 PM EDT.

Parts of Hartford and Litchfield counties were issued a Tornado Warning Tuesday afternoon and residents were told to take cover but as of 4:30 p.m. there is some good news as the warnings have been cancelled. However, Tornado Watches remain in effect up until 9 p.m. tonight for Northern Connecticut.

“The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However small hail, gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm. A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for northern Connecticut,” the National Weather Service says.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Litchfield, parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties, Hartford, and Tolland counties as a powerful storm rolls in this afternoon.

The weather has forced Bradley Airport to suspend flights due to the tornado warning.

*A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Tolland and Hartford County’s until 445 PM EDT.

At 422 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Enfield, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD…Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, windows, siding, and vehicles. Expect damage to trees and power lines.

Locations impacted include…
Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Meriden, Bristol, Manchester, East Hartford, Enfield, Southington, Glastonbury, Newington, Vernon, Windsor, Wethersfield, Mansfield, South Windsor, Farmington, Windham, Wolcott and Colchester.

See related: Connecticut Thunderstorm Power Outages Top 11k

(To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

The National Weather Service has just issued a Tornado Warning for Northwestern Litchfield County and residents there are urged to take cover now. The weather service says up until 3:30 p.m. the tornado could produce tennis ball size hail and “flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”

The weather service urges residents there to take cover now. A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the rest of Litchfield County until 8 p.m.

As for the rest of us a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for all of Southern Connecticut from now until 11 p.m. The big change from this morning is that the watch has been added and the time has been extended up until 11 p.m.

A Tornado Watch has also been issued for Hartford, Tolland and Windham counties up until 9 p.m. tonight. The National Weather Service says that the Severe Thunderstorm Watch means there is a chance for lime size hail, wind gusts up to 80 mph, and a chance of a tornado.

said “With the potential for strong winds, downpours and reduced visibility starting this afternoon, use extra caution when driving. Turn on windshield wipers AND headlights, reduce speed, increase following distance and avoid collected water on travel lanes and shoulders.”

In an hour-by-hour forecast, NBC Connecticut projects that the worst of the storm will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The chance for severe thunderstorms across Connecticut this afternoon and evening are increasing, according to the National Weather Service. The timeline of the worst of the weather is expected after 2 p.m. and up until around 8 p.m. tonight. There could be severe thunderstorms, gusty wind, hail, heavy rain, and a tornado can’t be ruled out either, the weather service says.

New advisories have been issued by the weather service this morning.

Southern Connecticut: There is the possibility of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, with the main threat damaging wind gusts and possibly large hail. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out as well, mainly north and west of New York City. In addition, locally heavy rainfall is possible with any stronger convection. While the main threat is for minor flooding of urban and poor drainage areas, there is a small chance for localized flash flooding.

Hartford, Tolland and Windham counties: Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening, roughly between 2 and 9 pm. The area of greatest concern is across western and central Massachusetts into northern Connecticut, but can not rule out across the rest of the region.

The primary threat with any severe thunderstorms will be damaging straight line wind gusts. However, isolated large hail along with heavy rain/street flooding is also a concern. Lastly, there is a low risk of an isolated tornado across western/central MA and northern Connecticut.

Litchfield County: There is a chance of thunderstorms today. Some of these storms may be severe, mainly between the hours of Noon and 7 pm. The main threats will be damaging wind and large hail. An isolated tornado is also possible.

Thunderstorms will generally track from the west, toward the east, at 35 to 45 mph. In addition, torrential downpours will be possible within thunderstorms. This may lead to minor flooding of poor drainage, urban and low lying areas.

See also: CT Creamery Named to List of America’s Best Ice Cream

Doctor, Practice to Pay $800K in Fed, State Fines

Bodily Fluid-Tainted Cupcakes Lead To Arrest Of 4 CT Juveniles

Here is the updated stormy forecast for Southern Connecticut:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could be severe. Increasing clouds, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could be severe. Low around 59. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 63. Northeast wind around 8 mph.

Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Here is the stormy weather forecast for Northern Connecticut:

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 4pm and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 11pm. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. Low around 57. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers between 9am and 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Image via Shutterstock

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Israel Faces International Criticism for Gaza Deaths

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Israel on Tuesday faced a torrent of international criticism for its deadly response to protests in Gaza this week, as the Netanyahu government defended the country’s right to secure its borders.

Palestinians in Gaza buried their dead Tuesday after violent clashes with Israel’s military at the border fence a day earlier left some 60 people dead and injured thousands more. Officials in Gaza said that hospitals were overwhelmed by those hurt, with many running out of essential supplies such as drugs to treat them.

…

North Korea threatens to cancel summit with Trump over military drills

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SEOUL —  North Korea is casting doubt on next month’s summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump over joint Air Force drills taking place in South Korea, which it says are ruining the diplomatic mood.

North Korea always reacts angrily to the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, considering them as a rehearsal for an invasion. But this year, with the sudden burst of diplomacy, had appeared to be different.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries had scaled back and played down the exercises, declining the news media the usual access to the drills. North Korea barely said a word about the drills during the computer simulation exercises that took place through April.

The two-week-long Max Thunder drills between the two countries’ Air Forces, an annual event that began on Friday, have, however, clearly struck a nerve in North Korea.

“This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency said in a report published early.  

[Something’s going on at North Korea’s nuclear test site. Maybe it really is closing. ]

The Max Thunder exercise involves about 100 warplanes, including eight F-22 radar-evading fighters and an unspecified number of B-52 bombers and F-15K jets, according to the South’s main Yonhap News Agency. During last year’s Max Thunder exercises, U.S. and South Korean fighter jets flew an average 60 sorties a day to showcase their firepower.

By mentioning the Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea was referring to the agreement signed last month by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in following their historic summit. 

They agreed to work to turn the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953 into a peace treaty that would officially bring the war to a close, and also to pursue the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea suggested that the drills were putting the proposed summit between Trump and Kim, scheduled for June 12, in jeopardy.

“The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities,” KCNA said.

Trump and Kim are due to meet in Singapore, which would be the first time a North Korean leader had meet with a sitting U.S. president.

Trump and his top aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, both previously known for their hard line views on North Korea, have express optimism that a denuclearization agreement can be worked out. 

In surprising detail, Pompeo — who says Kim watches foreign news reports — has laid out the economic and development aid that would flow to the North Korean regime if it permanently and verifiably gives up its nuclear weapons program.

But North Korea, despite being run by one totalitarian family for the last seven decades, is not entirely monolithic. It does have its hawks and its doves, and analysts speculated that hard-liners in the military, concerned about the sudden talk of denuclearization, might be trying to interfere with the current diplomatic efforts.

[Pompeo says U.S. assuring Kim that it does not seek his overthrow ]

At the same time as threatening to scupper the summit with Trump, North Korea did cancel talks with South Korean officials that had been scheduled for Wednesday, less than 24 hours after agreeing to them. 

North Korea had said it would send five senior officials to Panmunjom for meetings with South Korean officials, the first such talks since the April 27 inter-Korean summit.

They were due to discuss some of the infrastructure aid that South Korea would provide to North Korea as part of their broader detente.

The North was going to send Ri Son Kwon, who leads the North Korean agency in charge of inter-Korean exchanges and was present at the summit, while the South was going to send senior officials from the transport ministry and forest service. 

“Through the inter-Korean high-level talks, (we) will push to lay the groundwork for sustainable development and lasting peace by having in-depth discussions and faithfully implementing the Panmunjom Declaration,” the South’s unification ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Max Thunder is a two-week operation that has been held annually in the spring for about 10 years. It features the United States and South Korea flying strike aircraft together from air bases in South Korea and Japan to practice air-to-air combat. About 1,000 U.S. troops and 500 South Koreans were involved last year, according to a U.S. military statement published at the time.

Max Thunder is significantly smaller than Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, two other military exercises that were held in April, and briefly paused to reduce tensions as Kim and Moon could meet at the border at the demilitarized zone between their nations to discuss potential peace plans.

The Pentagon said in March that Foal Eagle, which includes ground maneuvers, would involve about 11,500 U.S. troops and 290,000 South Koreans this year, while Key Resolve would focus more on computer simulation and involve about 12,200 U.S. troops and 10,000 South Koreans.

The threat by North Korea to cancel the summit now would seem to contradict the message that South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong brought to the White House in March, when Kim volunteered to meet with Trump. At that time, Kim’s message was that North Korea would refrain from additional nuclear or missile testing and understood “that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue.”

Dan Lamothe contributed to this story.

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Ten children rescued from ‘horrible living conditions’ in California, parents arrested, cops announce

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Jonathan Allen, left, and Ina Rogers, right, were arrested after police found 10 children living in “horrible” conditions in their Fairfield, California home.

 (Solano County Sheriff’s Office)

Ten children believed to be violently abused and living in “horrible” conditions were removed from a home in Fairfield, California, and their parents were arrested, police announced Monday.

Garbage, rotten food, and animal and human feces were found strewn throughout the house, Lt. Greg Hurlbut said at a news conference Monday. 

He added that the children described in interviews various incidents of “intentional abuse.” They suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises consistent with getting shot with a pellet or BB gun, according to the department.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

The children’s removal was sparked after a 12-year-old child was reported missing in the area on March 31, the Fairfield Police Department said in a news release. The child ultimately was found and returned home.

The bathroom is strewn with feces at a home in Fairfield, Calif., Monday, May 14, 2018, where authorities removed 10 children and charged their father with torture and their mother with neglect after an investigation revealed a lengthy period of severe physical and emotional abuse.

 (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

While at the home, police said they conducted a health and safety search and discovered nine other children — ranging in age from four months to 11 years old — “living in squalor and unsafe conditions.”

The 10 children were removed from the home on March 31.

The mother, identified by police as Ina Rogers, 30, was arrested and charged with child neglect. She was released afte rposting $10,000 bail on Aprl 9.

She told reporters outside her home on Monday that she felt she was being judged for having so many children, and for choosing to home-school them.

“There’s no broken bones, there is no major scars, nothing,” Rogers said. “My kids get bumped and bruised and scratched because they’re kids but that’s it.”

Rogers, who gave reporters a tour of her four-bedroom home, noted all of the children slept in one room because they wanted to do so, and claimed the house was messy the day her kids were removed because she was looking for her missing 12-year-old son.

Toys and other items are strewn around one of the bedrooms of a home in Fairfield, California. Ten children were removed from the home in March.

 (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Both Rogers and her husband, 19-year-old Jonathan Allen, came from broken homes, the mother said, adding that the couple wanted a large family.

The mother added she was surprised Allen was facing felony torture and abuse charges because he was not the disciplinarian of the family.

An arrest warrant was issued for Allen and he was arrested Friday and booked on nine counts of felony torture and six counts of felony child abuse. He was arraigned Monday and is being held at the Solano County Jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.

Sharon Henry, Chief Deputy of the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, said the children told investigators the abuse dated back to 2014.

Allen’s mother, Peggy Allen, told The Associated Press she’s estranged from her son, but that the situation is “embarrassing,” because she didn’t raise him this way and cited her family’s Christian faith. She also said she had spoken to Allen about the importance of keeping his home clean.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nicole Darrah covers breaking and trending news for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter @nicoledarrah.