Howdy Australia!! - Trump and Israel do the unthinkable - Amazing air crashes with no fatalities, and one involved Dale Earnhardt., Jr. - An ominous clock is counting down in Hong Kong - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Israel managed to provoke outrage from its own allies for barring two US Democratic congresswoman from visiting the country at the behest of Donald Trump, going back on its word to allow them in despite their support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.  "We will not permit someone who negates our right of existence in the world to enter the country," said Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said of Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, two members of "The Squad" of progressive women lawmakers that also includes New York's Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.  Last month, Israel's ambassador to the US Ron Dermer told the Times of Israel that the country would not block the planned visit by the first two Muslim women in the US Congress.  But earlier in the day, Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit," falsely accusing them of hating Jews.

Israel's staunchest allies were shocked at the move, accusing Israel of caving to Trump and accusing Trump of exporting his racism through tweets.  The pro-Israel lobby J-Street opened a petition to demand Israel change its position and allow Tlaib and Omar to visit, and the highly influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said, "Every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand."  Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider, who is so pro-Israel he actually wrote a bill to condemn the BDS movement, announced Israel's move is "shortsighted and wrong", and "will provide a false, negative narrative of Israel as weak and fearful - a misperception that enemies of Israel will most certainly seek to exploit".

As for The Squad, Rashida Tlaib called Israel's move a "sign of weakness", while Ilhan Omar says Netanyahu has aligned himself "with Islamophobes" like Trump.  Israel's decision is especially insulting to Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American born in Detroit, because he grandmother lives in the West Bank and the two will not be able to see each other.  Her Uncle Bassam said, "Rashida is not carrying a weapon and directing it against Israel, she is coming to visit her family, her country, her people, it is her right to visit her country and her family."

There is no previous incidence of the occupant of the Oval Office urging other countries to change their policies to punish his political enemies.  Only Trump.

Anyway...

It's official, July 2019 was the Earth's hottest month on record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The global average temperature for the month was 0.95 C Degrees above the 20th century average of 15.8 C, and 0.03 C degrees warmer than the previous record which was set in July 2016.  Not surprisingly, Sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions reached 41-year lows as well because of the record warmth, according to the NOAA.  

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. managed to survive another one.  His private plane crashed and burned at a Tennessee airport - but the NASCAR legend, his wife and one year old daughter, plus the two pilots were unhurt.

Russian airline pilots are being called "heroes" after putting their passenger jet down in an emergency landing in a cornfield with no fatalities.  The Ural Airlines Airbus 321 had just taken off from Moscow en route to Simferopol in Crimea when it hit a flock of gulls shortly after take-off, damaging the engines.  

It really looks like it's about to come down in Hong Kong, with Chinese state media running video of People's Armed Police (PAP) training for a massive crowd control operation next door in Shenzhen.  Pro-democracy protests have brought the financial hub to a standstill, and protesters have been more and more emboldened fight Hong Kong police.  Another major demonstration is planned for Sunday, but the state-run Global Times newspaper starkly warned, "If Hong Kong cannot restore the rule of law on its own and the riots intensify, it's imperative then for the central government to take direct actions based on the Basic Law."

Gibraltar's Supreme Court ordered British forces to release an Iranian oil tanker it had detained in July for allegedly violating international sanctions.  The ruling is a blow to the US, which is widely viewed to have put up the Royal Marines into seizing the vessel and keeping it so long.  NATO allies had earlier disappointed Washington by refusing to take part in a naval operation to protect the shipping route off of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran seized a British vessel in response to the Gibraltar incident.