In speech of her life, Clinton to say U.S. at moment of reckoning

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will tell the Democratic National Convention on Thursday that Americans must work together to conquer domestic and foreign challenges that threaten to tear the country apart.

In the biggest speech of her more than 25-year-old career in the public eye, Clinton will sound the themes that will propel her campaign against Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election.

"America is once again at a moment of reckoning. Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart. Bonds of trust and respect are fraying," Clinton will say in accepting the Democratic nomination, according to excerpts of her speech.

"And just as with our founders there are no guarantees. It truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we’re going to work together so we can all rise together," she will say.

As she prepared to deliver her speech, sources familiar with the matter said the FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that may be related to an earlier hack at the Democratic National Committee.

The breach and its potential ties to Russian hackers are likely to sharpen concern, so far unproven, that Moscow is trying to meddle in the election. The issue has clouded this week's convention in Philadelphia.

'THREATS AND TURBULENCE'

In her speech Clinton will say she will work to create more opportunities and more good jobs with rising wages, and confront stark choices in battling "threats and turbulence" around the world and at home.

"No wonder people are anxious and looking for reassurance - looking for steady leadership," she will say.

It is Clinton's turn in the spotlight after days of electrifying speeches by party heavyweights such as President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama praising Clinton and cautioning that Trump would be dangerous and divisive.

It will be a difficult and high-stakes task for the guarded Clinton, 68, known to be a more effective politician in small gatherings than on big stages.

Clinton, vying to be the first woman elected president in U.S. history, needs to make a convincing argument she can bring about change while representing the legacy of Obama, who is nearing the end of his second four-year term with high approval ratings.

She must make inroads with voters who find her untrustworthy or unlikable, as her favorability ratings in polls have hit all-time lows.

In his speech, Obama offered an optimistic view of the United States that he contrasted with Trump's vision of a country in crisis.

UPBEAT MESSAGE

Clinton was likely to offer a similarly upbeat message, drawing on an idea that has driven her throughout her career, that all Americans should be given the chance to fulfill their potential, a campaign aide said.

Trump, a 70-year-old New York businessman who has never held political office, is running just ahead of Clinton in a RealClearPolitics average of recent national opinion polls. They both garner high "unpopularity" ratings.