The Daily Signal - After Losing Both Her In-Laws to COVID-19, Janice Dean Is Calling for an Investigation of New York

Episode Date: August 13, 2020

Janice Dean is Fox News' senior meteorologist. She lost both of her in-laws to COVID-19, and then was pulled from testifying at hearings on New York nursing home deaths. Why was she prevented from testifying, and what does she think of how New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has handled COVID-19? Dean joins the podcast to discuss. We also cover these stories: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of China’s growing threat to the free world.  The United Kingdom's GDP went down by 20.4%, which is the sharpest decline any major economy has ever seen.  Hoboken, New Jersey is considering implementing a $250 fine for not wearing a mask outside. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Thursday, August 13th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Del Judas. Fox News's senior meteorologist, Janice Dean, lost both of her in-laws to COVID-19. Then she was pulled from testifying hearings in New York on nursing home deaths. She joins me today on the Daily Signal podcast to discuss. Also, we invite you to take just five minutes to complete the Daily Signal podcast survey. We want to take your feedback into consideration. So at the end of the show, head to dailysignal.com slash survey. Again, that's daily signal.com slash survey to give us your input.

Don't forget, if you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Now on to our top news. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered remarks before the Czech Senate on Wednesday. and warned of China's growing threat to the free world. Speaking of China's Communist Party, Pompeo said, we have to explain to our citizens the price free societies will pay if we don't confront this threat. He encouraged the Czech leaders to recognize China

for the dangerous force it poses to the Western world, per the hill. The CCP lies. It makes those who tell the truth disappear. The virulent pandemic that came from Wuhan, Mujan spread so widely and caused so much damage because the CCP covered it up. Then there's the tragedy that has befallen, Hong Kong, and the premature denial of freedom to those people. You see it in far-off places in their attempts to dominate the South China Sea.

You see it in the detention of one million Uyghur Muslims living in internment camps in Xinjiang. This is the human rights stain of the century, sustained by companies like Huawei using technology that secret police could only have dreamed up in times gone by. Now, it might be easy to dismiss the China's challenge just a passing irritant, but I hope you all know it is not so. The regime has a Marxist-Londonist Corps no less than the Soviet Union did it, indeed, perhaps more so. The party has always put itself first.

Its actions flow from its ideology. And it's paranoid about free societies like ours. What's happening now isn't Cold War 2.0. The challenge of resisting the CCP threat is in some ways much more difficult. That's because the CCP has already enmeshed in our economies, in our politics, in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was. Beijing is not likely to change course in the near future, although one lives in hope. The United Kingdom is now in the midst of the biggest recession a developed world has faced.

CNN reported Wednesday that the country's GDP went down by 20.4%, which is the sharpest decline any major economy has ever seen. In a statement, UK finance minister Rishi Sunak said, per CNN, today's figures confirm that hard times are here. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months, many more will. But while there are difficult choices to be made ahead, we will get through this, and I can assure people that nobody will be left without hope or opportunity. The UK's economy fell by 22.1% in the first six months of 2020, compared to where it was at the end of 2019, a worse outcome than Germany, France, and Italy and double the 10.6% fall recorded in the United States. The Office for National Statistics

said, CNN reported. Hoboken, New Jersey is considering implementing a $250 fine for not wearing a mask outside. The city already requires masks be worn inside, but now is considering mandating masks also be worn outside when you cannot guarantee the ability to socially distance, such as when walking down a city street. Michael Russo of the Hoboken City Council told CBS2 New York that trying to enforce this mass rule is going to be very, very difficult. Russo added, I agree with the use of mass. However, this ordinance, I think, is a little bit too far. Other city council members like Phil Cohen appear to be in favor of the proposed rule and fine, telling CBS2 New York, I think once people start getting warnings, realizing there are financial consequences to not wearing a mask,

that compliance will increase, and that really is the goal here. It's a critical time in our nation's history. Now, more than ever, at the Daily Signal, we're committed to equipping you with the best information and insight we possibly can. And to do that, we need your help. By sharing your thoughts and suggestions through our five-minute online survey, you can help the Daily Signal improve our reporting and reach more Americans with the message of freedom. Find the five-minute survey at daily signal.com slash survey. Again, that's dailysignal.com

slash survey. Now stay tuned for my conversation with Fox News' senior meteorologist Janice Dean, who lost both of her in-laws to COVID-19 and then was pulled from testifying at hearings in New York on nursing home deaths. She joins me on the Daily Signal podcast to discuss. I'm joined today on the Daily Signal podcast by Fox News, senior meteorologist Janice Dean. Janice, it's wonderful to have you with us on the Daily Signal podcast. I appreciate the interest. Thank you for having me.

Well, thank you so much for making the time to be with us. You did lose both of your in-laws to COVID-19. Can you tell us what happened? We put my father-in-law in a nursing home. He had bigger health issues than my mother-in-law did, and he needed some rehab and he had dementia. So we were trying to get him in better shape to join my mother-in-law in her assisted living facility, which was close to our home here on Long Island.

And they weren't in their respective elder care facilities for very long. Sean and I, my husband, for months and months, were having a hard time deciding what to do because they couldn't take care of themselves. They couldn't take care of each other. They lived in a four-story walk-up in Brooklyn for 60 years that was rent-controlled. At first, we had AIDS going into their apartment to take care of them, but there were still trips to the ER. And then finally, we found a nice place that was close to us that would take both of them

once Mickey, my father-in-law, got better. And then not long after they were, you know, in their new living arrangements, COVID-19 came in play. And my father-in-law died at the end of March, and we didn't even know he was sick. We weren't able to visit him. We were getting fairly regular updates. And Sean was talking to him. But again, he had dementia, so it was hard for him to keep a conversation.

But we got a call on a Saturday morning, and the aide said his dad wasn't feeling well. He had a fever. And three hours later, we get a call back saying he was dead and that we should phone the funeral home. And we, I mean, we were, we had no clue. He was even sick. And then we didn't even know he had died of COVID until we saw the death certificate. With his mom, my husband had to deliver the news to his mom that his dad had passed away. And, you know, she didn't obviously take that very well.

And I think from that point on, she, you know, wasn't doing very well emotionally. And then she got sick in her assisted living residence. and they brought her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with COVID, and she died in the hospital. And one of the things that I'm very vocal about is the fact that her number does not count. And now, finally, after all these months, we're starting to see articles about the fact that we think that the numbers are hidden and that the 6,000 number of deaths in nursing homes is actually probably double that amount because they aren't counting the nursing home deaths.

in the hospital. That's tragic. We're very sorry for your guys' loss. Before we get into more of what happened following other deaths, can you talk a little bit about what your in-laws were like as people how long you had known them before their death? Well, I mean, I met my husband in 2002, and we dated for many years, and I, of course, met his parents. I remember the first day that I met Mickey. He was a runner. He was in great shape for many, many years. of his life and many years that I knew of him, he ran 800 races and documented each one in a little notebook or several notebooks. And I remember the day I first met Mickey. He had just finished a run and he was standing by his car with his shirt off. And my husband said, you know, that's my dad.

He's always the guy with his shirt off. And so I just remember that being quite funny and very true to Mickey. Mickey was also a firefighter. My husband's firefighter as well, and he had 23 years on the job before he retired. He was also in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Hawaii at Hickham. And he and my mother-in-law were pen pals. And I do believe, if folklore is true, that his dad actually proposed to his mom through the letters that he wrote her when he was in Hawaii. My mother-in-law was a devoted grandmother. She loved her grandkids. And my niece Danielle, who is a little bit older than my kids, growing up, she was, you know, Mickey's, you know, little pet, they went everywhere together. They loved Long Island, Silver Point Beach Club, Atlantic Beach,

where my husband grew up and became a lifeguard. They were true New Yorkers, born in and they are the definition of New York tough. Well, thank you so much for sharing about them and just the kind of people that they were. Going into the situation in New York as a whole, kind of looking at it from a wider angle, what do you think of how New York and especially Governor Andrew Cuomo have handled COVID-19? I think he does deserve praise in that he has brought the number of cases, and through social distancing and people just in general listening to the rules and regulations, you know, we are now, I guess, an example of looking good.

But I've always used the example of the fire is out, or at least it's almost out, but that doesn't mean that the house didn't burn down in the process. And that's how I look at it in terms of my family. You know, we lost not one but two parents in the process. The fact that he goes around and continues to tout his squashing of the curve or the flattening of the curve and his COVID mountain poster and doing this sort of victory lap on the fact that, you know, New York is doing so well kind of ignores the fact that for many, many weeks and months we weren't doing very well. We lost over 30,000 people. And 6,000 of those, more, if you really dig deep, were in the nursing homes. And for 46 days, there was a mandate in place that Governor Cuomo signed that stated that COVID-positive patients were to be put in nursing homes.

And I think the governor knew this. He even was on the record, as quoted, a fire through dry grass. And that's exactly what happened in the nursing homes. The virus spread, it got through the walls, and it took our most vulnerable. And so I think the cover-up is happening right now, especially with the numbers. And for many weeks, Governor Cuomo was never being asked the question about the nursing homes. I think he got used to not having to answer to that question. And when he does get asked, he blames everybody except the person that signed the order.

and that is Andrew Cuomo. Well, you've been very outspoken about what happened to your in-laws, and you had reached out and wanted to testify about what happened during hearings in New York. Can you tell us what happened? Then you were just invited. Can you kind of take us through? You were invited, and then this didn't work out. Can you kind of tell us what happened?

I found out that there were hearings in New York. There were two separate hearings about the nursing home tragedy in upstate New York in the Senate. and I contacted my friend, Councilman Joe Borelli, and asked how I would be able to get myself on the list because I had a story to tell. And I believe that laws change not because of lawmakers talking about what they want to do in the Senate or grilling Howard Zucker with questions and him not answering them. That doesn't change the laws. It's the stories of people that have experienced the losses.

So I wanted to make sure that I was able to tell my story in front of the lawmakers in upstate New York and put my story on the record. My husband's story as well, of course. And I wrote the letters and I wrote the emails and I filled out the documents and I was told by Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, who was the only one that got back to me, that he had talked to the chair and that even though I couldn't be on the August 3rd list of witnesses, he would be, the chair would put me on the list for. August 10th. I was to get an email, an invitation on Friday that never came. I emailed my friend Councilman Joe Borrelli and he broke the news to me that they were disinviting me, that I was no longer on the list. And then I got word from Assemblyman Kevin Byrne that that indeed was the situation that they had taken me off the list. And it was actually in writing that they were uncomfortable with me as a witness and that's why they took me off.

And this happened right the day that you were, I mean, it was the same day of the hearing and the day that you were supposed to testify. They took me off the list, I believe, on Friday and never sent me anything until the day, the actual hearings, when the hearings were on, I received a generic email that was, you know, we couldn't accommodate you due to time. And like I said, it was very generic. Eric, it was just sort of a thanks but no thanks. And I think someone probably guilted them into saying you should probably tell her something. So you've been really open about talking about how there should be a full and bipartisan investigation into New York's nursing home desk. Why do you

think and why should this happen? Because Governor Cuomo doesn't want it to happen. And the only investigation we've had so far is one done by his administration that basically said he did nothing wrong. It had nothing to do with his mandate that was put in place for 46 days of putting COVID patients into nursing homes. And rather, it was the nursing care workers and the visitors that brought the virus into their homes. And we were never allowed to go see my in-laws as visitors. So that does not ring true. I just think there needs to be a bipartisan investigation where there is subpoena powers involved, and people like Howard Zucker have to go on the record

and answer those questions in front of lawmakers and families. And, you know, not just on a state level, it probably should be on a federal level. Why not a 9-11-style commission hearing? Because New York wasn't the only state that had this mandate in place. There were five others. There's four others, including New York,

Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, New Jersey. They all had the same mandate of putting COVID positive patients into nursing homes. Well, how do you think New York lawmakers and Governor Cuomo could reform the COVID-19 situation in the state? I think they have to learn from their mistakes. And perhaps even on a broader scale, look at our nursing homes and how they are still not safe for any kind of virus. If this happens again, how are they prepared? There are stories of not enough PPE. you know, workers have stories.

I've heard from nursing care workers that are afraid to tell their stories. They don't want to lose their jobs. Just the way people are treated. Of course, there are some nursing homes that are an example of a safe place for our elderly. There are examples in New York that defied the governor's orders and didn't allow COVID-posive patients into nursing homes. And there are success stories. And I think we have to look to those stories to make a change because there is a problem. because there is going to be another time and another place where we're going to have to protect our elderly.

Well, given your situation and everything that's happened, everything that you've witnessed, has coronavirus become really politicized? Has that been more important than actually going to families and putting needs in wants of families first? Where would you say alliance have been drawn in that area? I think it's the time and the place we are living in that is actually. added to the confusion and the agony of all of this. It's very, everything is political these days. You can't have an opinion without it being political.

I believe the fact that I wasn't allowed to testify at the hearings was political because of where I work, even though I'm the weather person and I'm the least political person that works there. It just shouldn't matter where I work. My family was affected by this. So I think both sides have a problem with this. It's not just a Republican or a Democrat, but when it comes to our loved ones, this is not about politics. I'm sure there are a lot of families that voted for Cuomo that have lost their loved ones that want answers.

So unfortunately, it's the times that we're living in where everything is politicized, unfortunately. And it's a lot more so when it comes to, you know, the, losing our loved ones and trying to get our message across. Well, as you mentioned, GNS, many Americans have lost loved ones in nursing homes. What's your advice to them on how to advocate for their family members in nursing homes and how to support them during this pandemic? You know, it's use your voice. Call your councilman.

You know, it didn't work for me. Well, I shouldn't say that because the fact that they didn't have me come and speak, has actually given me a bigger platform. More people know my story. More people know the story of how my in-laws lost their lives during this tragic time. But it's, as I mentioned, it's the stories and getting in front of people,

getting in front of lawmakers, writing those letters, and trying to be as dedicated enough and getting involved in the cause. I know it's hard now because we're in a time of a pandemic. It's hard to, you know, get out there and protest. You know, I was invited, invited to a lot of protests, and I would have loved to have gone with my signs.

And there's something to that. That's an important part of having a voice. It's difficult right now with the times that we are in. But, you know, the messages do get through, and the emails do get to people. And I just think if there's, you know, there is safety in numbers. if there's enough of us that want to change, I truly believe that that can happen.

Well, lastly, Janus, how has media, mainstream media responded to your story? I know you said that you have been given a bigger platform because of what did happen, unfortunately. But how has the mainstream responded to it? I've had a few. I've had a few interviews. I don't think CNN is going to be calling me any time tomorrow. You know, I wish there was more. I wish there were more people that were asking the questions of Governor Cuomo when He's on NBC and ABC and on the newspapers.

There are, you know, there are a few publications. There are a few places that are getting the message across. I wrote an op-ed for USA Today, and I'm really glad that they published that. They didn't edit me at all. They let me tell my story. I'm grateful for that. I've had some local radio and TV and newspaper publications in New York State have been interested in the story now. we'll see, but certainly not enough to raise awareness in mainstream media.

Well, Janice, thank you so much for taking the time to come on and tell your story and the story of your in-laws. It's been great to have you with us. I appreciate the interest. Thank you. And that will do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to The Daily Signal podcast. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And be sure leave us a five-star review and rating on Apple. Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for listening and we'll be back with you all tomorrow. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage

Foundation. It is executive produced by Kate Trinko and Rachel Del Judas, sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. For more information, visitdailySignal.com.