Born into Children of God, Now She Demands Justice

 

Cult abuse, mind control, brainwashing, child exploitation, Children of God survivors, religious trauma, coercive control, trafficking, second-generation cult survivors; In this powerful episode of Cults, Culture, and Coercion, Steven Hassan speaks with psychologist and survivor Maria Esguerra about growing up inside one of the most extreme high-control cult groups.

Dr. Hassan welcomes Maria Esguerra, a registered psychologist from Australia who was born and raised in the Children of God (also known as The Family). As a second-generation cult survivor of one of the most oppressive cults, Children of God, Maria brings both lived experience and clinical expertise to a deeply important conversation about cult abuse, trauma, and holding cults accountable for the damage they've caused.

Together, they explore the realities of being raised in a high-control, authoritarian cult environment, including systemic child abuse, lack of medical care, exploitation, and the long-term psychological consequences for survivors. Maria shares how her work with support groups and advocacy aids cult survivors, including helping cult victims pursue justice and speaking before government inquiries into cults.

This episode examines:

• The distinction between adult coercion and child victimization in cults
• Why minimizing abuse or “both sides” framing can retraumatize survivors
• The role of governments, institutions, and mental health systems in failing survivors
• The concept of trafficking, exploitation, and coercive control within cult environments
• The importance of centering victims—especially second-generation survivors
• Accountability, justice, and the ethics of healing in the aftermath of abuse

Maria also discusses her work in mental health and trauma-informed care, highlighting how systemic failures continue to impact survivors who were denied basic rights like education, legal identity documentation, and medical treatment.

🔗 Learn more about Maria Esguerra and her work: https://www.mariaesguerra.com/

Chapters:

• You Can’t Be Nuanced About Abuse” (Opening Statement)
• Born Into the Children of God: Lived Experience
• Inside the Cult: Abuse, Exploitation & Control
• Escaping & Why Survivors Still Lack Justice
• Trafficking, Coercion & Criminal Reality of Cults
• Cult Apologists & Denial of Abuse
• Survivor Gaslighting & “Minimizing Harm” Debate
• Why Victims Must Be Centered First
• Brainwashing vs. Personal Responsibility
• Identity Loss, No Documents & Lifelong Impact
• Crime vs. Coercion: Where Accountability Lies
• The Danger of “Neutrality” in Abuse Cases
• What Real Accountability & Restitution Looks Like
• Predators in Cults: Who They Attract & Why
• Systemic Failure: Governments Ignoring Abuse
• Parents, Power & Complicity in Cult Systems
• Ongoing Trauma & Ethical Failures in Therapy
• Survivor Advocacy & Fighting for Justice
• Final Reflections: Listening to Survivors

Andrew Lownie & Shauna Kay - Entitled, The Rise and Fall of The House of York

 

In 2025, Andrew Lownie and Shauna Kay recorded a series of weekly podcasts to discuss his most recent bestseller: "Entitled, The Rise and Fall of The House of York".

Andrew Lownie is a renowned biographer and historian who conducted a forensic study of the life and controversies of Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Exploring Royal Family scandals, Epstein connections, the Virginia Giuffre lawsuit, the infamous Newsnight interview & the subsequent fallout, and the Pizza Express alibi!

In 2024, we also collaborated on several interviews to uncover insights from Lownie’s bestselling book, Traitor King, The Mountbattens, and his biography on Guy Burgess, Stalin's Englishman. 

This podcast is perfect for fans of British Royal history, Windsor scandals, celebrity biographies, and true crime royal exposés!

#andrewlownie #princeandrew #royalfamily #epstein #VirginiaGiuffre

Why Did So Many Canadians Keep Doing Business with Epstein?

 

The predator’s network reached into this country’s financial, science, and cultural elite

Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney called for the removal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—formerly known as Prince Andrew—from the line of succession.

Mountbatten-Windsor had been arrested in the United Kingdom amid mounting scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who operated, according to prosecutors and investigators, as a kind of ultra high-end pimp. Court filings and investigative reporting indicate Epstein not only sought out sexual encounters for himself but traded access to underage girls in exchange for connections, favours, and patronage.

But Canada could have spoken out about Mountbatten-Windsor long ago. His ties to Epstein had been a global scandal for years. Virginia Giuffre’s allegation that she had been trafficked to the prince as a teen first emerged in Florida court documents in 2014. By 2022, the queen had stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of various titles.

It’s worth asking why we didn’t. Why didn’t we act when the right path was clear but not quite so easy? The question is not merely about reputational risk to the Canadian Crown. Epstein’s world-spanning web of financial, political, and academic elite included other Canadians too. Why did they, like so many others around the world, continue to be active parts of his transnational network—years after his crimes were no longer a secret?  (more...)

Why Did So Many Canadians Keep Doing Business with Epstein?

Trump as JESUS?! AI Art Fallout Splits MAGA

 

Dr. Steven Hassan goes LIVE to break down a fast-moving and deeply revealing moment inside the MAGA movement: backlash over Donald Trump’s controversial AI image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, escalating tensions with Pope Leo XIV, and growing fractures within the religious right amid conflict with Iran.

In this livestream, Dr. Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump and creator of the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control, analyzes how influence, identity, and belief systems collide when political leaders adopt religious symbolism. What happens when a movement built on loyalty begins to fracture? And what does this moment reveal about political obedience and the psychology of charismatic leaders?

Trump’s AI image sparked rare and public condemnation from conservative Christian voices, exposing tensions between political loyalty and religious devotion. At the same time, disputes over Iran policy, public clashes with Catholic Pope Leo XIV, and internal MAGA infighting are signaling deeper instability within the coalition.

Meanwhile, global stakes are rising. U.S. military escalation around Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are intensifying fears of broader conflict, adding geopolitical pressure to an already fractured political and ideological landscape.

Dr. Hassan will explore:

• Why Trump’s AI “Jesus” image triggered backlash from his own religious base
• The psychology of leader worship, messiah imagery, and charismatic authority
• How undue influence operates when politics and religion merge
• The growing divide inside MAGA over foreign policy and identity
• The significance of Trump’s conflict with Pope Leo XIV
• How crises (war, religion, identity) accelerate group polarization and control
• What this moment reveals about authoritarian movements and their breaking points

At the same time, new developments involving Melania Trump and renewed public attention on her alleged relationship with Jeffrey Epstein add another layer of controversy to the ongoing Epstein Files cover-up.

Lawyers launch search for Epstein survivors as part of Bank of America’s $72.5m settlement

 

Lawyers have estimated that as many as 75 women may have a stake in the $72.5 million settlement reached with Bank of America over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

United States District Judge Jed Rakoff had called on the lawyers to compile a broad list of publications by Friday that could be used to notify Epstein’s victims, who are believed to number in the hundreds.

Rakoff explained he wanted to make sure that “nobody is left out” of the settlement. A final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for August 27.

The settlement was first announced in court filings on March 27, after a proposed class action lawsuit against Bank of America was allowed to proceed.

In October, a woman who went by the pseudonym Jane Doe filed the lawsuit on behalf of herself and the other women and girls who were abused by Epstein.

She and her lawyers argued that Bank of America, the second-largest banking institution in the US, had ignored suspicious transactions related to Epstein’s sex-trafficking operations.

The lawsuit further stated that the Bank of America knowingly benefited from its relationship with Epstein and obstructed enforcement of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a federal law designed to prosecute sex trafficking.  (more...)

Lawyers launch search for Epstein survivors as part of Bank of America’s $72.5m settlement

Don't Forget Epstein

 

The war in Iran has knocked the Epstein files off the front page. We are here to remind you of its enduring importance in this in-depth interview with author Nick Bryant.

Starmer knew all about Mandelson

 

Misconduct in public office

Whitney Webb EXPOSES Epstein Money Trail

 

Wexner, Black, Dubin, Sinofsky, and the Rothschilds. Round and round the money goes.

Poland launches human trafficking probe linked to Epstein network

 

Warsaw prosecutors say women and minors may have been recruited in the country for sexual exploitation abroad

Polish prosecutors have launched an investigation into suspected human trafficking linked to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after documents released by the US Justice Department indicated victims were allegedly recruited in the country.

The National Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday it was probing whether women – including minors and Polish citizens – were recruited in Poland “by misleading them as to the true nature of prospective employment abroad,” before being transported across borders and handed over to others for sexual exploitation. The suspected trafficking occurred between 2009 and 2019.

Warsaw will request information and evidence from two European countries under a European Investigation Order, prosecutors said, as cited by local media. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the requests will go to France and Sweden.

The Polish probe is part of a widening international fallout from the latest release of millions of Epstein documents, which have triggered criminal investigations, arrests, and resignations across politics, business, and royalty.  (more...)

Poland launches human trafficking probe linked to Epstein network

NEW POLL: Majority of Americans Believe Trump Launched Iran War to Cover Up Epstein Scandal

 

A new Drop Site/Zeteo/Data For Progress survey also finds likely American voters are split on whether Trump is more responsive to the American people or to Israel.

There has been no shortage of surveys of the American public’s attitude toward the war on Iran, and the polls have all found broadly the same dynamic: Democrats are strongly opposed, independents lean against, and Republicans are broadly supportive.

But all of this polling, done by reputable survey companies and paid for by mainstream media outlets, has conspicuously avoiding asking tough questions about the motivations behind the war. Or, at least, we found it conspicuous.

Nobody, for instance, has surveyed the American public to ask them whether they believe this war is being fought in the interests of the American public or on behalf of Israel. And nobody has asked whether Trump launched the war to distract the public from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Indeed, anybody at an American news organization who even suggested asking such questions would at best never be invited back to the Zoom call, and more likely would find their key card no longer working at the front desk.

Doing sophisticated polling that follows best practices is an expensive endeavor, which is why it’s usually left to major media with major budgets. But thanks to the generous support of our readers, we decided it’s something we can afford, too, and we teamed up with our friends at Zeteo to split the costs of a national survey of likely American voters, one that allowed us to ask the kinds of questions we’re interested in, and that we believe you’ll be interested in too.

...

A majority of likely American voters believe that Donald Trump launched the war on Iran at least in part to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that had engulfed his presidency, according to a new survey.

The survey found that a solid 52-40 majority of voters agreed with the statement, with the other 8% saying they were unsure as to his motivations. The findings will come as little surprise to a public that has morphed Trump’s codename for the war, Operation Epic Fury, into “Operation Epstein Fury.”  (more...)

NEW POLL: Majority of Americans Believe Trump Launched Iran War to Cover Up Epstein Scandal

Staggering Revelations in the Epstein Files!

 

We just got one heck of an Epstein files update. We know that state law enforcement authorities in New Mexico are now investigating Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro ranch. That is the scene of allegations of horrific crimes by Epstein, Maxwell, and others, and it's good that the New Mexico law-enforcement authorities are investigating. 

But the obvious question is: why wasn't the Zorro ranch searched by law-enforcement authorities when they searched Epstein's home in New York, when they searched his home in Florida, when they searched his home on his infamous island?

Well, we now know the answer to that question - why didn't they search the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. 

Donald Trump's Department of Justice told the New Mexico law enforcement authorities to halt there investigation! 

This video takes on this dramatic and deeply troubling new revelation.

Epstein Class And Rothschild MONEY!

 

Tara Reade provides the view of the Vampire's Ball from Russia

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church Epstein Files

 

In this dispatch, Lady Whistleblown examines disturbing testimony now emerging from within the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) — testimony that some observers have begun referring to as “The PBCC Epstein Files.” A survivor describes years of abuse beginning in childhood within the Brethren community, allegedly involving multiple men in positions of religious authority. The survivor later moved within the orbit of senior PBCC leadership in Sydney, including Bruce Hales, the long-time global leader of the church, and Gareth Hales. The allegations described are now part of an active police investigation into this abuse. As these testimonies begin to surface, questions are growing about the culture of silence, power, and protection within the PBCC — and whether distractions and public controversies are being used to divert attention from far more serious issues. This dispatch explores the allegations, the historical context inside the Brethren movement, and why a growing number of voices believe the full story is only just beginning to emerge.

New Epstein File BAD For Trump!

 

On the kill list

Still to Come on the Epstein Story....

 

Think you know what the Epstein story is about?  If you're tired of the cover-up, order your copy of our report, "The Empire Has No Clothes".  We show you what's behind the curtains put up to hide the really dirty truth, of the depravity of today's billionaire class, and how they engage in financial swindles, wars, censorship and outright lies to keep you down.

Ten Epstein Revelations You Might Have Missed

 

On January 30, the Department of Justice released its latest tranche of 3.5 million documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Years of emails, texts, and images were suddenly in the public domain. 

Epstein, a serial rapist, masterminded a global human trafficking and sexual abuse network, and could count princes, professors, and politicians among his closest friends and accomplices.

MintPress News has been at the forefront of covering the Epstein saga, revealing his extremely close links to American and Israeli intelligence groups – a discovery that perhaps sheds light on why it took so long for the world’s most notorious pedophile to face accountability for his crimes. 

Many of the DOJ files have been heavily redacted in order to protect Epstein’s powerful clients. Still, they have exposed a massive elite nexus revolving around the New York billionaire, implicating presidents, diplomats, and plutocrats in his crimes, and imply that Epstein was significantly more powerful than first thought, shaping modern politics in ways never previously understood. 

With shocking new details emerging on a near-hourly basis, here are ten Epstein-related stories that have flown relatively under the radar.  (more...)

Ten Epstein Revelations You Might Have Missed

Epstein Said Trump Was A CORNERED Rat!

 

Terror and desperation

Epstein-linked former Norwegian PM hospitalized after suicide attempt – media

 

Thorbjorn Jagland is reportedly in hospital in serious condition after being charged with gross corruption over ties to the convicted sex offender

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland was hospitalized last week after a suicide attempt, days after being charged with gross corruption over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Norwegian outlet iNyheter has claimed.

Citing a “rock-solid source,” iNyheter wrote that Jagland’s condition is serious. The facility treating the 75-year-old statesman has not been disclosed.

Jagland is one of Norway's most prominent political figures, having served as prime minister, parliament leader, foreign minister, and Secretary General of the Council of Europe. He also chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015.

Earlier this month, Jagland was charged with gross corruption following the release of the latest batch of Epstein files by the US Justice Department. Norway's anti-corruption agency carried out extensive searches of Jagland's properties in Oslo and Risor.

According to the agency’s letter to the Council of Europe seeking to lift his immunity, Jagland and his immediate family used Epstein's private apartments in Paris and New York multiple times between 2011 and 2018, and stayed at his villa in Palm Beach, Florida. Jagland also allegedly asked Epstein for assistance with a bank loan.  (more...)

Epstein-linked former Norwegian PM hospitalized after suicide attempt – media

Epstein STOLE Her Babies!

 

It gets darker and darker

The Dalai Lama – Epstein Connection

 

The latest tranche of Epstein Files has put a rather unlikely figure in the spotlight: the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan religious leader’s name is mentioned hundreds of times in the newly-released documents, with suggestions and allegations that the two maintained some kind of personal relationship. A search for “Dalai Lama” elicits 156 results on the Department of Justice’s website, with other similar queries, such as “Dali Lama” (Epstein had notoriously poor spelling) also prompting dozens of relevant results. A prominent Epstein guest recalls meeting the Buddhist teacher at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion, scene of many of his most serious sex crimes. The Dalai Lama’s office has vehemently denied any connection to the disgraced pedophile and suspected Israeli intelligence operative.

A serial networker, Epstein’s emails show that he worked hard to connect with the Dalai Lama, sending requests out to his web of contacts for an invitation. Joichi Ito, head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, helped him in his endeavors, noting that his close contact, Tenzin Priyadarshi was a Tibetan monk, MIT’s Buddhist chaplain, and had a direct line to the Dalai Lama. As he wrote: 

“Yes. First step would be to meet Tenzin. His student who runs the Dalai Lama center and is now a Director’s Fellow at the Lab and going to start the ‘ethics initiative’ at the Media Lab. We’re working on some cool things like a meeting about cognitive machines and man. I think you’ll probably like him. He can get us the Dalai Lama.”

Epstein would go on to meet with Priyadarshi and donate $50,000 to the Prajnopaya Institute, a Buddhist Center he founded. In 2019, Ito resigned in disgrace over his association with Epstein.

Epstein was excited by the prospect of reeling the lama into his personal network. “I’m working on the dalai lama for dinner” he emailed Soon Yi-Previn, wife of Woody Allen. “Any date for the lunch with Woody and dalai L?” celebrity scientist Lawrence Krauss asked Epstein two weeks later. 

Another message from a redacted sender also hints at a closer relationship than previously known.

“Sorry for that didn’t check my email since yesterday morning. You know that I don’t have an Internet in my phone, why didn’t you call me or text me on my phone if you need me? About the event I told you almost a month ago on the island that Dalai Lama is coming and I want to go there to see him. But I can skip this event if you need my help today.”  (more...)

The Dalai Lama – Epstein Connection