“Lifeline” is the key word. This thing (the election) ain't over.

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Mainstream news outlets such as the Times had not quite pronounced Trump's candidacy dead before Friday — but they came close. As I wrote on Wednesday, the media was priming Trump supporters for a loss, making clear that the Republican nominee's deficit nationally and in battleground states presented a virtually insurmountable obstacle to victory so late in the race.

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Here at The Fix, we declared that “Donald Trump's chances of winning are approaching zero.” The Times' Upshot blog gave Trump just a 7 percent chance to win. FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver had written after the final debate last week that “Clinton probably finished off Trump last night.”

Silver tweeted Friday night that the FBI's renewed investigation represented a “complication in the 'Clinton coasts' narrative.”

Others in the media seem to agree. Politico's Steven Shepard wrote that “a presidential race that appeared largely in the bag for Clinton is suddenly looking more uncertain.” CNBC columnist Jake Novak opined that the “latest Clinton email probe could hand the election to Trump.” Conservative writer and radio host Howie Carr wrote gleefully that “with less than two weeks to go, this thing's not over yet.”

CNN's Jeremy Diamond described Trump as “reinvigorated” by the FBI probe. The New Republic's Ryu Spaeth said that “the FBI just gave Donald Trump a gift wrapped in an October surprise.”

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Clinton delivered her own version of the “it's not over yet” message at a rally in Iowa on Friday, telling supporters that “we’ve got to keep our foot on the gas. Donald Trump says he can still win, and you know, he’s right. Anything can happen in an election.”

President Obama, stumping for Clinton in Florida, said something similar: “You know, sometimes when you get a lead, whether sports or in politics, you start feeling good. You start celebrating too early. The next thing you know, you look up and let it slip away. I don’t want you all feeling too good. I want you hustling all the way until polls close on Nov. 8. I don’t want you taking things for granted.”

Clinton is still regarded as the favorite, and it is too early to know whether the FBI investigation will register in polls. Silver noted that while betting markets have reduced Clinton's odds of winning the White House by about five percentage points, the adjustment is “equivalent to anticipating roughly a 1-point drop in the polls.”