This is a rush transcript from "The Kelly File," October 6, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MEGYN KELLY, HOST: Breaking tonight at this very moment the southeastern United States is starting to get smashed by what the national hurricane center is calling one of the most extreme and potentially deadly hurricane threats in modern history.
Welcome to "The Kelly File," everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly on a busy night. Hurricane Matthew a category 4 monster packing maximum winds of 130 miles per hour. With gusts up to 165 miles per hour is poised to potentially become the first storm of this magnitude to make landfall in this region since records began in 1851. If there is one word we are hearing again and again, it is catastrophic. Right now severe winds and rain are whipping Florida's east coast. The bulk of the storm is on track for a direct hit on a highly populated vast stretch on the Eastern seaboard. We may be looking at an extreme life threatening weather event right now. Lasting 40 hours.
These are live images from Lake Worth Pier in Palm Beach, Florida. You can see the waves breaking around the end there. That part of the pier normally sits 20 feet off the water. Look at that t now. Hours ago, President Obama declaring a state of emergency in Florida. One-and-a-half million people there are under mandatory evacuation orders but thousands are reportedly ignoring pleas to seek safety. We have reporters fanned out across Florida for you tonight. And we will be checking in with them throughout the hour.
Correspondent Steve Harrigan is in Sebastian where a massive storm surge up to nine to 10 feet is expected. And FOX affiliate reporter Aaron Mesmer is in Juno Beach.
And in moments, we will be joined by Florida Governor Rick Scott who just hours ago warned residents of his state that this storm will, quote, "kill you."
But we begin with our chief meteorologist this evening Rick Reichmuth live in the Fox Weather Center for us. Rick, what's the latest?
RICK REICHMUTH, FOX NEWS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST: This messaging is so important. We are talking about a storm that we have never experienced. Normally we see hurricanes make landfall in a direct fashion. This storm looks like it is going to just skirt the coast line for about a 40-hour period. Hurricane warnings in effect from north of Miami all the way up now to north of Charleston, South Carolina. The very large stretch of land and the center of the storm right there around Freeport, Bahamas, who's been in that same spot for about the last hour and about to be moved back here. It is crossing the gulf stream. The waters very, very warm.
And current wind speeds are in the mid-40's in West Palm, up to 48. And it is about to get the first very strong wind band, very close to hurricane strength coming on very closely. And you also see this white. That's where we have major hurricane force winds. Radar very, very close. And this band that is getting right there towards West Palm is what we are talking about where we likely have a hurricane force wind right here.
Probably 100 mile-an-hour wind and there in that center is that 130, 140 mile-an-hour winds. Storm surge is going to be huge. Anywhere to the north say of Melbourne up through the Georgia coastline into South Carolina, it's going to be a storm surge like we have never seen there before. Not even exactly sure what potential damage happens with that. But we're going to see some spots 10 to 12 feet of storm surge. And Megyn a very scary depiction here. Look at this future radar, possibly landfall tonight around 3:00 a.m. and watch what happens. Center of this storm hugs the coast line all the way in throughout the Georgia coast line into South Carolina that's Saturday at noon. We are talking about 40 hours of a hurricane right on the shores of the southeast.
KELLY: Rick, we'll be back to you. Thank you. In addition to the wind, a major threat tonight and in the coming days will be a massive surge of salt water that could wash over communities stretching from South Florida all the way up to South Carolina.
Right now, Steve Harrigan is braving the conditions along the coast in Sebastian, Florida. He is about 100 miles away right now from the center of the storm. Steve?
STEVE HARRIGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Wow, Megyn, it is just pouring now as we are getting some of those outer bands. The heavier stuff might be four or five hours away. But the rain is just coming in sideways now. The camera is about 10 feet away from me and all I can see between me and him is a wall of water. The owner of this hotel expects this building to be entirely under water when this is all done and through. And he might be right. Right now we are seeing gusts here where I am of about 55 miles per hour.
That's enough to knock down small trees and branches. About 25,000 people currently without power. Of course, the real fear here across the state would be a direct hit of a category 4 hurricane with winds of more than 130 miles per hour and that 10-foot storm surge. That's what has people really terrified. We have seen evacuations throughout the day. 1.5 million people told to leave. And they are leaving. And I can tell you from seeing them on the move, it is not easy. A lot of Florida's elderly, afraid and on the move. In hotels, going to relatives. Packing up their cars.
One woman at the best western was in front of me online. She is on the first floor. She is afraid that that floor is going to be under water by the end of this storm. She wanted a room on the third floor. There was no room available. So people now are worried. They're worried about their own survival. And this has been a deadly hurricane. Two hundred and fifty people killed by it in Haiti.
A similar storm of this size in Florida 10 years ago killed 25 people in this state alone. So they are worried about surviving and they are worried about their homes. I had three people tell me today we live in manufactured homes. We're leaving, but when we come back, we don't know if there will be anything to come back to. Megyn, back to you.
KELLY: Steve, standing there in the middle of it, does it feel like a storm or does it feel more foreboding than that?
HARRIGAN: The scary thing about this is how wide it is. This could just drag on forever all up the coast. So you have a massive area that could come under threat. And when you hear about the Governor's preparations, 2,500 National Guard, that's not going to be enough at 2:00 in the morning with 110 mile-an-hour winds when you have this many people in danger. It's scary how big the area of danger is. That's what worries me about this storm -- Megyn.
KELLY: Is anybody outside?
HARRIGAN: It is a ghost town right now outside. Stores are boarded up. People are not out on the roads. And now, in order to prevent looting, we have a lot of people, a lot of local officials in counties issuing curfews. They don't want people out on the street and even shelters now are closing their doors, it is too difficult to move around. Bridges are shutting down. They want you inside. And if you are outside, you could get arrested.
KELLY: And before we let you to, Steve, do you have a safe place, you and our photographer?
HARRIGAN: Yes. We have a safe place. We're going to try to keep the shot up as long as we can safely and then we will shut it down. But, right now, 55, we're pretty good here.
KELLY: What are we seeing behind you, Steve?
HARRIGAN: It's water right behind me. It's a dock of boats. And the last time this happened about 10 years ago, all the boats actually crashed in to this hotel where I'm standing. And the dangerous thing is, is that when the water rises here and it could rise well above my head if we do get a 10-foot storm surge. It rises from two directions. So, you really have to keep an eye at all times on the rising waters to make sure you do have an exit path. You know, we haven't lost electric power here yet. But I'm thinking of all the people out there up and down the coast. Along I-95 who could be losing power and who are going to have a scary night ahead, 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning here in Florida -- Megyn.
KELLY: Indeed, the worse is yet to come. Steve Harrigan has done this many times for the FOX News Channel. And we will keep an-on him as the evening progresses. Thanks, Steve.
Wow, in Palm Beach County, Florida, the emergency shelters are now housing roughly 7,000 people. Who either did not get out in time or who chose to stay closer to home?
For more on the situation there, we go to Fox 13 reporter Aaron Mesmer who is live in Juno Beach. Aaron?
AARON MESMER, FOX 13 REPORTER: And Megyn, that's a good place to start right there. About 7,000 people decided not to leave. So we just heard some of those reports about folks getting out of here. Million and a half people under emergency evacuation order. And so many of them, there are a lot down here, who decided not to leave for various reasons that we are hearing. Now, I want to show you over here, this is going to be one of the first spots that takes the biggest brunt of this storm. And those trees, this is probably the best it looked within the last half hour or so. They were just bowing.
And there was a point at which I thought that some of these trees were, you might see them uproot or snap. I mean, this is 140 mile-an-hour winds we are talking about that's coming in. And we are not even close to being there yet. We were down at the beach -- I have got tell you. We were down at the beach. And the wind was so strong it was blowing the rain sideways just like it is right now. Stinging my face, you can't see, you can't hear, it hurts to even be out there.
And there are still so many people that we saw just there taking pictures of the water. But, yet, there are a lot of people who did stick it out and just like that previous report you heard, those people don't know what they're going back to right now. We just talked with a couple of people --
(LOST AUDIO)
KELLY: You can see Aaron struggling with our satellite hookup. Forgive us. You understand why. Hold on. I think we have him again. Keep going, Aaron.
MESMER: Yes. I don't know how much of that you heard but I will just start what I was saying there. There was a couple of people in the hotel just down the road that we talked to. And they said that they don't know what they are going to go back to. They just are so concerned that when they get back home, Megyn, they don't know if that home is going to be under water. They don't know if it's still going to be standing. We already saw a roof, we saw some video of a roof getting ripped off somewhere along the east coast of Florida. So, it is so dangerous. This is a storm as we heard Florida Governor Rick Scott say, this a storm that can kill people.
KELLY: And he is our next guest. Aaron, thank you. As we watch the tree trunks, not just the trees, the tree tops wave in the background. Incredible to watches as the storm is not even there yet.
Joining us now by phone is Florida Governor Rick Scott. Governor, thank you very much for being with us. What made you say it that way? This storm will kill you? So explicit and obviously scary.
GOV. RICK SCOTT, R-FLA. (on the phone): Well, Megyn, it is scary. We have 130 mile-an-hour winds with gusts to 165 mile-an-hour. We are going to have 12-foot storm surge. On top of that, we are going to have waves. We have rip current. We haven't seen this. And I have focused on trying to get everybody to safety. My biggest concern is I want everybody to survive this. And I just want to make sure everybody is evacuated. And we still have further north Brevard. Melbourne North still evacuate. We have shelters open all across the state.
We have evacuation routes open all across the state. We activated 3500 National Guard for safety and evacuation efforts. And we are doing everything we can to get everybody to safety. But, it's coming on. It's starting to hit Palm Beach and it's going to go all night and through tomorrow afternoon up to Georgia line and then, unfortunately, I just talked to governor -- hit Georgia and hit South Carolina and I talked to Nikki Haley a few minutes ago. This is a scary time. But we have done everything we can to prepare. And now we are going to pray for the safety of everybody in our state.
KELLY: You are saying Melbourne north can still evacuate and get to a shelter. And what are the roads like in that situation? I mean, is it still drivable? Are the wind gusts too severe?
SCOTT: Yes. If you're further north you can. You know, if you look down at Palm Beach, you need to hunker down. But if you are further north, can you still get -- the roads are open. Some of them have gotten them unclogged. They are still moving. So you can still evacuate further north. But if you are down in Palm Beach, you are now -- it's time to hunker down and just pray that you did the right thing.
KELLY: And what about the National Guard? You said 3,500, our reporter said he thought it was 2,500. So, it's 3,500. Do you think that's going to be enough?
SCOTT: Well, I have got another 4,000 that I can deploy very quickly. They are ready to be deployed. So, what we are doing now is evacuations they are helping our shelters. And then as we get passed this, and I can deploy the rest of them very quickly. I can deploy a total of about 6,600 to about 7,000 right now? And so I will deploy as many as I need.
KELLY: And Governor, this is not your first storm to hit Florida while you have been governor. How does this compare based on what you have been hearing from the experts who have been living in Florida forever? How does this compare to the others?
SCOTT: Megyn, I was in business (INAUDIBLE), I evacuated two hospitals and of course it turned south and I had a hospital fully demolished with 154 patients in it. We were able to keep everybody alive. But we have evacuated hospitals on the east coast. This is the worst disaster that I have had. I have never had to do 3500 members of the National Guard since I have been governor. We just had a hurricane. It was a category one in the panhandle. This is nothing as compared to what we are going to see tonight.
KELLY: Look at that monster on the satellite pictures. Governor.
SCOTT: It's a lot. Megyn, you said the right thing, it's a monster.
KELLY: All the best to you and all the Floridians and South Carolinians and Georgians watching this storm and waiting for the hours to come. Take care, sir.
Well, we just got some dramatic news from the National Hurricane Center. We'll have that for you in a moment.
Plus, we have a storm chaser driving up the coast right now. He just told us the roadway is completely surrounded by water already. He had to stop. We will speak with him right after this short break. And then there is the matter of the presidential race. With three days to the next presidential debate, the seconds of three, we are tracking new controversy on the campaign trail where Donald Trump just talked about whether he will go on the attack against his opponent when it comes to her husband's alleged affairs and dealings with women.
Monica Crowley and Julie Roginsky are next on a busy night of politics and a cat 4 hurricane. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: We're going back live now to Florida as hurricane force winds start to hit the U.S. coast in what meteorologist Rick Reichmuth says could be a 40 hour stretch of hurricane along the eastern seaboard.
Joining me now by phone, Emmy Award winning storm chaser and photo journalist Jeff Piotrowski who streaming live video -- from on the ground as he drives through Jensen Beach, Florida. Jeff, thank you for being with us. So, what are you seeing so far?
JEFF PIOTROWSKI, STORM CHASER (on the phone): Well, Megyn, you know, the winds are continuing to increase all afternoon along the southeast coast here, 40 and 50. I did have some minor damage back at Jensen Beach about two hours ago, (INAUDIBLE) -- branches falling down. You can see a couple of power flashes in the last five minutes as the hurricane force winds are now within ten miles to the coast line (INAUDIBLE) location at the inlet here and hurricane force winds will be moving onshore within the hour or two hours 10 to 11:00. You can start to see power outages and transformers blow. And that the winds are about 55 miles an hour -- location now is steady, and it's continuing to deteriorate rapidly now as the eye is approaching from the southeast about 80 miles out in the ocean at this time.
KELLY: So, how does this compare to the other storms that you have driven into? Because they are saying we haven't seen a storm like this in at least 10 years and well beyond, potentially.
PIOTROWSKI: Well, the tough part about this one, no two hurricanes are alike. This one is going to create its own problems and damage. The interesting thing is, if we can get the -- if the eye wall gets close to shore and if it makes landfall up near the cape or possibly north of Daytona and upward the, you know, Jacksonville area, if the eye comes ashore, then all bets are off. That's when you will going to get the core wind of 120, maybe 130. That's where you will going to have more significant damage. And that's what the model keeps saying is going to happen. It keeps going to make landfall somewhere in the, you know, the Cape area as well as up near Cottageville and the Nashville launch area. Well, that's where it will come ashore and we will see what happens.
KELLY: Governor Rick Scott saying if you are in the southern part of Florida, down about Palm Beach, just too late to evacuate. But if you are in the northern area, you may still have time to get to one of those shelters. Jeff, stay safe. Thank you.
PIOTROWSKI: Thanks, Megyn.
KELLY: I want to take a quick break now from the weather coverage to get to the campaign trail because we are seeing some evidence that a new Donald Trump may be emerging ahead of the critical second presidential debate. As we watch him holding just a handful of events over the last 48 hours and avoiding some of the more controversial teams that he has been known to hit on from time to time. Adding to that is this headline from the "New York Post." Last night in which Mr. Trump suggested he will not mention Bill Clinton's past at the next debate. And that he would rather discuss issues like jobs, trade, and immigration.
Joining me now Monica Crowley, she served as a foreign policy assistant to President Nixon, and Julie Roginsky is a Democratic analyst. Both are FOX News contributors. Great to see you.
JULIE ROGINSKY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Great to see you.
MONICA CROWLEY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Hi.
KELLY: So, I mean, what he is telegraphing Monica as we are going to get back to more disciplined Trump that we saw in that sort of six-week period during which his poll numbers rose and people started to really believe he might be able to do this thing.
CROWLEY: Right. There are two possibilities here. Number one, he is rope-a-doping all of us including Mrs. Clinton to come out swinging not about Bill Clinton's infidelities but about Mrs. Clinton's role about smearing and destroying a lot of these women who either were involved with him or accused him of sexual assault or rape or he really means this. And he is going to stay focused on his four core issues of law and order, economic populism and job creation, strong national defense and defeating the corrupt rigged system. That's what I would suggest that he do going into these final two debates unless he is provoked.
KELLY: Unless she raises the women issue again.
CROWLEY: Yes.
KELLY: If she raises the women issue again, then you think he should do it.
CROWLEY: Absolutely.
KELLY: Julie, is it too late? Right? Because we have seen Donald Trump's poll numbers slide, I mean, precipitously over the past couple of weeks since that first debate. Is it too late if he goes in and has a stellar debate.
ROGINSKY: No, it's not too late. Everybody love the comeback story on the one hand. On the other hand it's not like he is been idle since the first debate. He is been having his crazy tweet storms at 3:00 in the morning with Alicia Machado talking about her being overweight. He is been imitating Hillary Clinton following down after her pneumonia scare and I can go on.
And so the problem for him is, is he able and is he capable of doing what Monica Crowley just so aptly pointed out which is how he should behave. I don't think he is constitutionally capable. I think that if she tweaks him, and you know she'll tweak him. Whatever plans he has will go completely by the wayside. Because in the 70 years, he has been alive, there has been no indication that he has any self-discipline to do anything otherwise.
KELLY: The thing about Trump is he did so well over that six week whatever it was period in part because he had teleprompters and he stuck to them. And Trump, part of the charm of Trump when he is off script and he just sort of saying what he feels and he is entertaining, but that's also the danger to him as presidential candidate. And in this town hall, there will be no teleprompter. There will not be, you know, tonight he is doing town hall with the conservative moderator Hugh Hewitt, that's not going to be the case on Sunday night.
CROWLEY: That is true. But I will say that the one thing that truly scares Donald Trump is the prospect of losing. So we saw him get his act together, remain disciplined and focused and staying true to his core issues right after the Democratic National Convention where you're right, Megyn, his poll numbers really did start to slide. That's really what scared him straight. And I think after this first debate with the slippage in his poll numbers, that is also now scared him in to realizing that if he doesn't go back to that more disciplined approach to addressing the issues that really concern Americans, I mean, this country has some serious problems. He needs to make this less about himself and more about the American people in the future of the country. If he does that, he will win.
ROGINSKY: You are assuming he actually thinks he is losing. I have seen him tweeting polls at about how he is up in Tennessee and Georgia. Places which you'll never even being contention, I don't think he thinks he is losing. I think he thinks the system is rigged, the polls are rigged. Rigged all along throughout the primary in his mind. He won the primary. He can continue being Trump and win the general.
KELLY: Realistically, do you believe that it would be enough for him if he came in and disciplined Trump, right? Disciplined Trump, would that be enough at this point or does he need something big and bold, a game changer?
CROWLEY: He needs to maintain. So he can come in and be disciplined Trump and then stay disciplined Trump through November 8th. And I think that's virtually impossible for him to do even if he puts on a fabulous Monica Crowleyesque performance on debate night, it doesn't mean the next day or the day after he is not going to start having, you know, look, mental fights with her. That's exactly --
KELLY: So, we saw an undisciplined Trump in the first debate. We also saw a very smug Hillary which I've maintained it all along. That may appeal to her Democratic base, he is not going to appeal to the people in the middle.
CROWLEY: Right.
KELLY: Does she need to be a little bit more humble --
CROWLEY: Yes.
KELLY: -- and a little less shimmying with the shoulders.
CROWLEY: Yes. And also, she has lulled herself into a place of complacency going into these next debates. She is going it put herself in a really unfortunate position. Remember that Donald Trump really comes to life when he is in a room full of people. Whether it's a business transaction, a rally or a town hall.
KELLY: Feeds off the energy.
CROWLEY: Feeds off the energy and he really does.
KELLY: Although I have to say, you know, there is not a lot of energy when you sit in these presidential -- they have been told to keep your mouth shut. You know, like, oh my God! All right. I have got to leave it at that. Great to see you.
ROGINSKY: Thank you.
KELLY: See you later.
Also from the campaign trail tonight, Hillary Clinton had a memorable moment at a town hall this week. Perhaps you saw it, everywhere. But now there are questions about whether it was staged.
Trace Gallagher reports on what may have been an Oscar winning performance.
Plus, dramatic new scenes coming in from Florida where this storm is now starting to lash out at the coast. Watch. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: Breaking tonight, dramatic video coming in right now from our affiliate WTVT. Look at this as the leading edge of the storm starts to rock the Palm Beach area. Take a look at some of this. You can see some - - a tree with significant damage. Some of these trees we have been seeing are basically horizontal. The tape is going to get a little bit more dramatic as we watch it. And this is the latest track as we watch the satellite feed of Hurricane Matthew nearing the Florida Coast.
Just moments ago, the Florida Governor Rick Scott telling us that this storm is a, quote, "monster." Likely to have quote, "devastating impacts." And if you are in the southern part of Florida, West Palm Beach or below, you better stay in place, shelter in place is what they say.
Rick Reichmuth live with an update in the FOX Weather Center. Rick?
RICK REICHMUTH, FOX NEWS METEOROLOGIST: Megyn, yes, and to the north of that as the storm moves to the north tonight. Winds at about 48 miles an hour in Vero Beach. That's enough to make those trees and palm fronds in such blow down. It's the heavier winds that are -- the hurricane force winds and then the major hurricane in the center of that, that will be very damaging. And if we end up with those major hurricane winds on shore, that's what's going to cause all of the wind damage. Right here tropical storm conditions and then the red is a hurricane conditions. Look what happens over time.
Expect to see that red, that hurricane conditions move within the next hour or two on shore and stay on shore all up and down the Florida coast line and throughout Georgia and then across areas of South Carolina. Rainfall totals are going to be extreme. Lots of Florida in the 7 to 10-inch rain. Then going in to Georgia and South Carolina.
That's I think where we will be seeing some spots maybe up to about 15 inches of rain. Because of that obviously and the wind we have all the hurricane warnings. I want to point out it goes inland as well, we'll likely see some hurricane force wind gusts even inland towards Orlando and that's going to cause a lot of inland damage as well.
KELLY: Rick, do we know whether this thing is actually going to, quote, make landfall. And are you seeing any trend with the storm? It's getting worse? It's getting better than predicted? You know, what?
REICHMUTH: Well, we have been saying right along the coast for a number of days in that 10, 12 mile moving one direction or the other. That's what we can't say. I will tell you the models now have been very consistent for that to happen to stay right along the coast line. And I think we're going to.
Landfall, though, is defined as the center most point crossing land. So that is the center of the eye. It's a place where the pressure is lowest. I think there is a good chance. Most of our models are still bringing it landfall especially where the land sticks out right there in Cape Canaveral.
So that little piece of land sticking out might be the thing that makes that 5 or 10-mile difference. Certainly, I think there is a very huge chance of it. Damage is going to be extreme either way. But, yeah, people talk about landfall. It is the very center most point crossing over land. That's what we are going to be flirting with tonight.
KELLY: Monster storm. Killer storm already unleashing terrible devastation. Rick, thank you.
Back to politics now for a minute. Also developing this evening, new questions about whether or not the Clinton campaign may be planting questions at her events. It all started this week at a town hall in Pennsylvania. A young girl asked Mrs. Clinton about body image and Donald Trump's treatment of women.
The media was quick to highlight the story. But not so quick to report what could be key details about the person asking the question. Trace Gallagher picks up the story from there. Trace?
TRACE GALLAGHER, TELEVISION NEWS ANCHOR FOR FOX NEWS CHANNEL: And, Megyn, the setup here is key. This was at a family town hall with largely female crowd in a Philadelphia suburb of a major battleground state.
Hillary Clinton was sitting between her daughter Chelsea and actress Elizabeth Banks. And the first question from 15-year-old Brennan Leach just happened to fit right into Hillary's latest narrative concerning Donald Trump's treatment of women. Watch.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
BRENNAN LEACH, TEEN CALLED UPON TO ASK HILLARY CLINTON: I see with my own eyes the damage Donald Trump does when he talks about women and how they look. As the first female president, how would you undo some of that damage and help girls understand that they are so much more than just what they look like?
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT OF U.S.: Oh, thank you.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: The "New York Times" called the question, quote, the most potent. It went on to mention that 15-year-old Brennan Leach's dad, a state senator, helped her craft the question. But the "Times" left out that the dad is a democratic state senator. In fact, Daylin Leach is the chair of the senate democratic campaign committee who endorses Hillary Clinton and frequently posts anti-Trump messages.
The Clinton campaign denies investigating the question but it is certainly fair to ask considering Hillary Clinton was caught planting questions during both her run for the senate in '99 and her run for the White House in 2007.
And it turns out that during a February interview on the Steve Harvey Show, Harvey's producers not only gave Hillary Clinton the questions ahead of time, the show allowed the Clinton campaign to help word the questions. Steve Harvey admits supporting Clinton but says if Trump was a guest, he too would get the questions early.
This all comes at a time in the campaign when Hillary Clinton has been criticized for doing a litany of softball interviews including for "Extra," "The Tonight Show," "Between Two Ferns," and what many call an awkward appearance on the Mary j. Blige show, where Blige held Clinton's hand and sang to her about black people being killed by police.
Afterwards, Clinton said it's the first time anyone has ever sung to her during an interview and that she was touched by it. Megyn?
KELLY: Trace, thank you. Joining us now Dana Loesch, host of BlazeTV, and Krystal Ball, a New Leaders Council Senior Fellow and Clinton supporter. Great to see you both.
DANA LOESCH, HOST OF BLAZETV, FOX NEWS COMMENTATOR: Great to see you, Megyn.
KELLY: Dana, your thoughts on whether that was an organic moment or staged.
LOESCH: No.
KELLY: And if it was staged, do we care?
LOESCH: It was completely staged. And if Hillary Clinton had any sense this is, Megyn, her response would have been, I think your mom or women in your family can teach to you have enough self-esteem that you don't have to sit here and depends on what a presidential candidate says.
It's incredibly ironic because when I was Brennan's age, when I was a 15- year-old girt, I was learning all about oral sex from Hillary Clinton's husband because that was all the headlines, so pretty ironic.
KELLY: Krystal, do you want to take that one on?
KRYSTAL BALL, NEW LEADERS COUNCIL FELLOW: Okay.
(LAUGHTER)
BALL: Well, the writer is obsessed with this idea that Hillary Clinton is not possibly smart enough or prepared enough or articulate enough to handle questions that are asked to her in an impromptu way. I mean, first we had the commander-in-chief forum where there was this conspiracy theory that she had the ear piece.
And then there was Lester Holt debate on Monday where first she got the questions in advance and then, no, she actually had a secret hand signal worked out with Lester Holt.
KELLY: That's all nonsense. But there is no question she had been dodging the media.
BALL: I mean, all we know here is that, yes, this young woman's father was a supporter. Yes, she got help from him on crafting the question. But we also happen to know that one of her friends committed suicide last year and I don't think it's crazy to think that a young woman watching this campaign unfold last week would have had some concerns about what Donald Trump has to say about young woman and her body.
KELLY: Well, we don't know why her friend committed suicide. Let's not go out on that limb. But, Dana, you know, the thing is the reason it matters is because are we watching something real or are we watching theater? And if we're watching theater, then we should know that. You know, with all due respect to Steve Harvey who I like, why it should have been disclosed that she had been given the questions in advance and helped craft them.
LOESCH: I agree.
KELLY: And if she worked to get this question given to her or her campaign did, then we should know. Is it theater? I mean, because when I'm watching, you know, a river runs through it, I know I'm watching drama.
LOESCH: Exactly. And how -- how fairy is Steve Harvey that you have to have interview done in.
KELLY: He is the sweetest guy.
LOESCH: He is the friendliest guy in America. How scary is he? If you can't handle Steve Harvey, you can't handle Vladimir Putin. It's completely orchestrated. It's total theater. Everything with the Clinton is complete theater.
I can't tell if I'm watching politics or if I'm watching like a real time reality television broadway show. Everything is so contrive. There's nothing organic about it or about how she is going about it.
KELLY: As we watched it on Steve Harvey, Krystal, you know, she -- they unveiled that picture of her from 1961 and she was like oh, oh. Meanwhile we now know that they told her they were going to show it. They had given her a copy of the picture and showed her exactly where in the show they are going to pop it up. And the Oscar goes to.
(LAUGHTER)
BALL: I mean, Megyn, come on. Nobody thinks that Steve Harvey is like a hard-hitting journalist. Everybody looks at that as entertainment just like everybody look at Donald Trump's interview with Jimmy Fallon that actually looked at also as entertainment.
And let me break some news to you too. Campaign rallies are theater. They are tightly scripted and staged and the music is selected. Now, she says this question wasn't vetted and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't take her at her word.
KELLY: You don't?
BALL: It wasn't that.
KELLY: Really?
BALL: Personally, I think it's fine to pick the questions that you are going to have that are going to highlight your candidate in the best light here.
KELLY: The reason not to take her at her word is because she has a 70 percent dishonesty rating among the American people.
LOESCH: And because it's so contrive.
KELLY: Go ahead, Dana.
LOESCH: That's a huge point that was just made, too. Hillary Clinton is not connecting even with some of the most base democrat supporters. That's why they are losing and they are so worried about losing all of these other voters to the libertarian party and people like Gary Johnson. Because she is not connecting with individuals.
KELLY: Scary.
LOESCH: And that's why -- that's why she needs to roll back on some of the political theater. I think all politicians should. But Hillary Clinton is - - she is like video killed the radio star. Now it's like television and -- and new media and they have created this like Frankenstein monster. It's crazy. It's so crafted.
KELLY: Gary Johnson is honest to a fault. I think we can all agree on that.
BALL: What is Aleppo?
KELLY: We will leave this segment on that honest note my ladies. Good to see you both.
LOESCH: Yes, thank you, Megyn.
BALL: Good to see you, Megyn.
KELLY: Back now to weather as we take a look at our live pictures from Lake Worth, Florida where in the last 40 minutes the conditions have worsened to the point where you can hardly see the end of that pier anymore. Remember the one we showed you at the top of the show.
The National Hurricane Center now says the storm is expected to blow ashore early Friday, north of west Palm Beach in an area that is about -- that's home to about 1.1 million people. We are talking about a couple of hours here. We're back with Steve Harrigan again in the middle of this mess in two minutes. Don't go away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are in an evacuation zone, get out. This is not something you should take a chance with. Time is running out, leave. There's no excuses. The roads are open. You should get out. Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: Breaking tonight, throughout the hour, we have been updating you on hurricane Matthew's path, which is now 70 miles east off the coast of Florida. The storm making waves not just on the Florida coast but also in the political world. The head of the commission on presidential debates, which this Sunday will be in St. Louis, just announced that the debate will go forward as planned on Sunday night.
This is the first we were hearing that it was even potentially in jeopardy. For a sense of what is happening with the storm on the ground in Florida, we turn back it our correspondent Steve Harrigan who is in Sebastian, Florida. Steve, what's the latest?
HARRIGAN: Megyn, three threats right now. First, the rain is coming in sideways. Second, the wind has picked up. We see 40-mile an hour gusts this afternoon, then 50-mile per hour, now we are hitting 60 miles per hour. So we are seeing small trees and limbs come down.
But the real threat isn't going to be the number. It's going to be that black water behind me. It's rolling up steadily. The real threat could be from a storm surge anywhere of 3 to 7 feet. That's what's got people concerned here.
The other thing they have done differently now, several counties issuing a curfew. There are really two main concerns with this new wind burst knocking down trees, knocking down power lines, there are power lines down there, concern about the water and the power lines together.
And second, a concern about looting. You have 1.5 million people who have been told to evacuate. Many leaving their homes behind. There is real concern in several counties about the possibility of using this tragedy as a means for looting. They want to make sure it doesn't happen. So, for two reasons, a curfew in effect at 10:00 for several counties across Florida. Megyn?
KELLY: Steve, there were some complaints that the highways were too packed for people to evacuate. Those under mandatory evacuation orders. Are the shelters there full? We're told some 7100 people are in them tonight in that area.
HARRIGAN: There are more than 100 shelters opened up. When the first one filled up, they had to open more. It's clear that's not going to be enough for people. There were shortages throughout the day. Long lines at Home Depot, three hours long. I went to Walmart. No water on the shelves. Even the expensive stuff was gone.
As far as the highways go though, if you do look at current pictures of I- 95, not a car on the road. Good reason for that as well. There is really a sheet of water on those roads. And the heavy rain being blown around. You do not want to be on the move right now in Florida. Many of those shelters that were open earlier have now closed their doors. They don't want people moving around in this.
The next four to five hours could see if we get the storm surge as predicted water well over my head, 5 to 7 feet here with the waves on top of that. That's what could kill people. That's what the governor has warned about. 250 people dead in Haiti from this storm. A similar storm 10 years ago in Florida killed 25 people in this state. $30 billion worth of damage last time. This one could be worse. Megyn?
KELLY: And they just, as you were speaking, updated the death toll in Haiti to 283 people. 283 people are dead in Haiti as a result of this storm. And your sense today, Steve, as you walked around, obviously given the differences between the situation in Haiti and that in Florida, people's sense of urgency. Did they understand? Because we always see weather casters overblow this. Nothing is gonna happen. I've ridden out every storm and I will ride out this one, too.
HARRIGAN: You do see a lot of those sound bites that get a lot of attention. You always see the people surfing. But I got a very different impression from people I talked to today and saw in the hotels here today. It's a major heartache for people. People who have put their live savings into their homes now fear losing them.
One first responder told me, I know I'm going to lose my front porch. I just hope I don't lose my whole house. So you have people there out tonight trying to save people and knowing at the same time they could lose what they worked their whole life for. I think people on the most part taking this very seriously, facing a life threat on one hand and real financial threat on the other, Megyn.
KELLY: Because you think a lot of folks think Palm Beach and they -- they think of the beautiful mansions, they think of places like Mar-a-Lago, the Breakers. West Palm Beach isn't like that at all. This area that you are in, it's not necessarily ritzy and rich and full of big mansions. There are a lot more humble homes that are very much in danger.
HARRIGAN: You are right. A lot of people mentioned to me, you know, I would always call them mobile homes. There are lot of people who live in them and own them calling them manufactured homes. Those were under mandatory evacuation. A lot of those people in manufactured homes realize they could lose part or all of that home.
They still do what they could, take what they could out of those homes, board them up as well as possible and trying to save their lives. Move to higher ground. In hotels which are now booked up across the state. Or to relatives to try to get out of the way of this. I think people here are taking this deadly seriously, Megyn. KELLY: Nearly 25,000 people are without power in Palm Beach County alone. They are there. Those who did not evacuate in the darkness as the winds increase around them and the eye of the storm creeps ever closer. We're back in a moment. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: Well, here is the Fox News Channel. We know James Rosen as a correspondent. But in his latest role, Rosen is blending his journalistic talent to a brand new book that brings the voice of a legendary conservative to life.
Joining me now is the said journalist, James Rosen, editor of "A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century. James, you're not busy enough obsessing over the Beatles, you're now obsessed with audience (ph).
JAMES ROSEN, JOURNALIST, TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT, EDITOR: And also my job. I actually have a job.
(CROSSTALK)
ROSEN: . thank you. So this is the book called "A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century. It collects 50 eulogies that the conservative icon, William F. Buckley Jr., either delivered or wrote across his career for presidents, for figures from arts and letters, people like Johnny Carson, Princess Diana, MLK, Churchill, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia.
And these are often very emotional pieces that he published and wrote and we've collected them all together in one book and it's gonna make a great gift.
KELLY: Why do people want to read this? What does one feel upon reading this?
ROSEN: One learns about the great figures of our time from the presidents to spies to musicians. I mean, this is the only place in the world where Milton Friedman, the economist, rubs elbows with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.
And so one learns a great deal about history and politics and music and art and novels. Therefore, a lot about Bill Buckley himself who was a great literary stylist, who was a novelist, and who brings these people to life because he knew these people.
He corresponded with these people, he lunched with these people. And so I think it makes for great reading. And for the lovers in your family of history, politics, art, music, they're going to love it. KELLY: And also Rosen. So, Buckley was the founder of the conservative movement. You've studied up on him and I can attest to this personally. He was at The New York Public Library pulling his personal readings and personal writings. What do you think he would think about this presidential race?
ROSEN: Well, I think Buckley would be saddened by the coarseness of our discourse. He was very disappointed in the vulgarity that he heard being expressed in private on the Nixon tapes back in the 70s. I think he would be very disappointed by the cheapness of our discourse. I think -- but that's not the say that he would not have endorsed Donald Trump.
We don't know one way or the other. He did write about Donald Trump with -- with some disdain a long time ago. But Buckley always urged people to vote for the most right word viable candidate. That might have been Trump today. We don't know.
KELLY: Is it expensive? Is it long? I don't have a lot of time. How much time do I have? How many pages is it?
ROSEN: It's a book you can pick up and put down at any time. You just read one chapter on John Lennon or MLK or all these people.
KELLY: That's perfect. When you go to sleep and you only have 20, not minutes, seconds in my case, you to read to something, this is your book. Great to see you. "A Torch Kept Lit", Rosen. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: If you are caught in the storm, go to Facebook.com/The Kelly File. Follow me on Twitter at Megyn Kelly. Let us know what you're experiencing. Stay safe and thanks for watching. I'm Megyn Kelly. This is "The Kelly File." Up next, live, Sean Hannity, my friend.
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