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For the Record: Hurricane Matthew gets pulled into the 2016 fray

 
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As Hurricane Matthew surged upon Florida Thursday with life-threatening winds, Gov. Rick Scott issued a stern warning to residents: "This storm will kill you."

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties. FEMA pled the public to evacuate. Yet even Hurricane Matthew, with its Category 4 winds, managed to get pulled into the fray of the 2016 election.

Hillary Clinton's campaign increased its ad buys on the Weather Channel this week, one in which it will see a spike in viewers as those in Florida and beyond keep up to date about Hurricane Matthew's path.

The Republican National Committee pounced on Clinton, criticizing her for "exploiting Hurricane Matthew for political gain."

While Clinton's campaign claimed the increased Weather Channel ads made up 1% of a larger ad buy, it announced Thursday that it had asked the Weather Channel to suspend its ads.

It's For the Record, the politics newsletter from USA TODAY.

This is where we're at now: politicizing hurricanes

Hillary Clinton wasn't the only one accused of politicizing Hurricane Matthew, which had claimed at least 280 lives as of last night.

Matt Drudge, founder of the still awfully designed Drudge Report, floated the idea Thursday that the government was lying about Hurricane Matthew's intensity to make a point about climate change.

"The deplorables are starting to wonder if the govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate," Drudge tweeted.

The tweet from Drudge to his 409,000 followers spurred much reaction, from bewilderment to concern.

"Spreading such a conspiracy is reckless," one user, @BaileyPittipat, said. "There are those who may now choose not to evacuate when ordered. Lives are at stake."

An hour later, Drudge, for some reason, tweeted again: "Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims."

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Clinton largely called a ceasefire in their battle for Florida's swing voters. Clinton's campaign said it would use its social media and supporter lists to encourage Floridians to heed public warnings around the hurricane.

Trump felt inclined to pray.

Pence: Trump's words have created 'personal pain for people'

Mike Pence, America's scowler in chief, has not always agreed with his running mate, Donald Trump.

Pence condemned Trump after Trump claimed an Indiana-born judge was being unfair to him because he is "Mexican." He also called Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from the U.S. "offensive and unconstitutional."

But that was before Pence became Trump's running mate. Now Pence must defend him, a task that proved challenging not only in Tuesday's vice presidential debate but also on CNN Thursday morning.

"I understand why the other side wants to keep bringing up prior statements earlier in the campaign," Pence said.

"Donald Trump has said in this campaign that - that he has regretted the times that - that he didn't choose his words well, particularly where it's created, you know, personal pain for people."

Trump 2016: "Personal pain for people."

After Trump's shaky debate performance, a slide in the polls

Polls conducted after Clinton and Trump's first debate continue to roll in, with several bringing bad news for the Republican nominee.

A Michigan poll that last month showed Trump nearly tied with Clinton this week found her with an 11-point lead.

Another poll released Thursday showed Clinton neck-and-neck with Trump in Arizona, a state that hasn't gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1996.

In Pennsylvania, a key state, polls showed Clinton had padded her lead to as many as 10 points. Clinton even closed in on Trump by two points in Indiana, Pence's home state.

"He is severely testing a red state like Indiana," Gene Ulm, that poll's conductor, said.

More from the campaign trail

Gary Johnson, asked to name North Korea's leader, embarrases himself again (USA TODAY)
NFL player says "Trump" is a divisive word in the locker room (USA TODAY)
Trump's hair looks more realistic than ever in new Chia Pet model (Detroit Free Press)

Clinton keeps up with the Kardashians

It's no secret that Clinton has gone to great pains to appeal to millennials -- mostly in ways that are painful to watch. This week, she finally weighed in on Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery (as we all hoped she would).

"I feel really bad for her," said Clinton in an interview with Extra.


She also expressed sympathy for Kardashian's husband, Kanye West: "He was in the middle of the concert and he ran offstage, bless his heart."




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