Jessica Sanchez honored to sing anthem for Hillary

MANILA – Filipino-American singer Jessica Sanchez is making waves anew after she was tapped to record the song “Stronger Together,” which is the anthem of the Demoratic National Convention (DNC).

Composed by Carole Bayer Sager, Bruce Roberts and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds for US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the song made its debut at the end of the DNC in Philadelphia on July 28.

n an interview with Billboard, Sanchez revealed she didn’t have to think twice about doing the song.

"It was so last minute. I went in the studio, they mixed it that night and they sent it out the next day," she said. "It's crazy to me, because I didn't think it was going to happen that quick."


"I’m really honored to be a part of it again," said the 20-year-old singer who also performed at the DNC in September 2012 for US President Barack Obama.

Honored to do this song for @HillaryClinton and the #DNC https://t.co/Q9lTQH8IqJ

— Jessica Sanchez (@JessicaESanchez) July 27, 2016

The "American Idol" runner-up also takes pride that the song has such a powerful message.

"With everything that is going on in the world right now, it's important for all of us to come together and stay strong," she said. "The message is great and it's great for the campaign. This is the time for us to play our part and go out and vote and be stronger."

Following the song’s debut, Sanchez said she is set to re-record the track “and make it a lot more clean.”

Sanchez first rose to fame after finishing as the runner-up in the 11th season of “American Idol.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Transgender woman makes history at Democratic convention

PHILADELPHIA - Sarah McBride on Thursday became the first openly transgender person to address a national US political party convention, telling Democrats that White House nominee Hillary Clinton "understands the urgency" of the fight for equality.

"My name is Sarah McBride and I am a proud transgender American," the beaming rights activist told cheering delegates on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention that anointed Clinton as the party's flagbearer.

"Hillary Clinton understands the urgency of our fight," she said. "She will work with us to pass the equality act, to combat violence against transgendered women of color, and to end the HIV-AIDS epidemic once and for all."

Transgender people have seen their cause advance in recent years, notably this April when a US Circuit Court of Appeals recognized that transgender Americans are protected under federal laws banning sex-based discrimination.

The issue has become a political flashpoint in several states including North Carolina, prompting lawmakers to take sides on whether communities or institutions can forbid transgender people from using the bathrooms of their gender identity.

In June after a lengthy review, the Pentagon said it was ending the ban on transgender people being able to serve openly in the US military.

"Despite this progress, so much work remains," said McBride, who noted that she came out as transgender while serving as the student body president at her college.

"Today in America, LGBTQ people are still targeted by hate that lives in both laws and in hearts. Many still struggle just to get by, but I believe that tomorrow can be different."

McBride was introduced at the convention by Sean Patrick Maloney, an openly gay member of the US House of Representatives.

"You know, it's a beautiful thing when your country catches up to you, and when your basic rights, and your very family are on the line," Maloney said.

Trump, he added, "doesn't care" about some families. "He's against marriage equality. He wants to go back."

The convention has embraced the Democratic message of inclusion, particularly for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

McBride's appearance on center stage comes one week after Caitlyn Jenner, an avowed Republican who is the world's most famous transgender woman, defended gender rights in Cleveland on the sidelines of the Republican convention that picked Donald Trump as their party's nominee.

Jenner's support of a political party reluctant to advance the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people has drawn criticism from the LGBT community.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Obama passes torch to Clinton, warns election is test of US democracy

PHILADELPHIA, United States - President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on Democrats to carry Hillary Clinton to victory over Donald Trump, saying the 2016 White House race was not just about party politics, but the nature of American democracy.

The two-term president offered potent testimony on the third night of his party's national convention about how Clinton, his onetime rival, became an ally and trusted advisor.

Painting Republican nominee Donald Trump as a know-nothing who cozies up to dictators, Obama said November's vote was "not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right."

"This is a more fundamental choice," he said, telling convention delegates in Philadelphia --- the city where America's constitution was written -- that this was a battle for the very "meaning of our democracy."

"This is a more fundamental choice -- about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government," he said.

Obama spearheaded a day-long effort by Democrats to depict Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief, contrasting the political neophyte with his more experienced Democratic rival.

Trump, he said was "not really a plans guy. He's not really a facts guy either."

"He's betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election."

Punching at Trump's campaign slogan, Obama insisted "America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump."

"America's never been about what one person says he'll do for us -- it's about what can be achieved by us together," he said.

- No one more qualified -

Acting as a character reference for his secretary of state of four years, with whom he battled in the 2008 primaries, Obama offered a comprehensive endorsement of Clinton as the one person uniquely qualified to succeed him.

He said the 68-year-old former first lady and senator knew what it's like to be in the room when tough epoch-making and presidency-breaking decisions were taken -- like the move to strike Osama bin Laden.

"I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman -- not me, not Bill (Clinton), nobody -- more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America," he said.

At the end of Obama's speech, Clinton -- the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US political party -- arrived on stage to deafening shouts from the party faithful.

- Framing the battle ahead -
Earlier in the day, Trump launched a pre-emptive attack against Obama, calling him "the most ignorant president in our history."

The Republican nominee also sparked howls of outrage from Democrats with a reference to thousands of Clinton emails held on a private server that were deleted.

"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." Trump said.

Clinton says the emails were personal and not work-related, but for Republicans, it is a smoking gun for a cover-up involving her use of a private server during her time at the State Department.

The FBI concluded this month that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified material via a private email server, but did not recommend that she face criminal charges.

"He asked the Russians to interfere in American politics. Think about that," former CIA director Leon Panetta told the convention before Obama took the stage.

"As someone who was responsible for protecting our nation from cyber-attacks, it is inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be that irresponsible."

- Dimming limelight -

Now in the twilight of his second term, Obama faces ever-dwindling opportunities to address the nation, mold his legacy and influence the 2016 race.

But on Wednesday, he had a prime-time chance, appearing before thousands of delegates and tens of millions of viewers at home.

The White House said Obama had been working on the roughly 45-minute speech for weeks.

Yet this touchstone presidential moment had been a decade or more in the making.

The address bookends Obama's career-launching address to the Democratic convention in 2004, his contentious 2008 primary battle with Clinton and his eight years in office.

Obama made a familiar case for what has been achieved during his two terms, highlighting America's recovery from the Great Recession, the Iran nuclear deal and reforms to health care.

But this was also a passing of the party torch.

"I have confidence as I leave this stage tonight that the Democratic Party is in good hands," Obama said, appearing to become emotional.

"Thank you for this incredible journey," he said before his long exit from the stage.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Obama girls 'barely' listened to speech

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama said her daughters, Malia and Sasha, "barely" listened to their father's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

In an interview on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," quoted by The Hill, Kimmel asked the first lady if the two girls paid attention to President Barack Obama's address.

"Barely," Michelle Obama responded.

She said the president gave the girls some advice before the speech.

"Just look like you're listening to me," she said he told them.

In a discussion about the Obamas' home life, Michelle Obama revealed younger daughter Sasha will go trick or treating this year.

"There are times of the year when candy is good," said the first lady, who is a strong advocate for healthier foods for children.

Kimmel asked the first lady what she would do if she was able to spend one hour as a "regular person."

She said she'd "walk down the street, go to CVS, go shop, go buy my toiletries, I'd pay money, get a receipt, then sit on a park bench and watch people."

source: upi.com