Howdy Australia!! - Trump's "meltdown" and the crisis he created in Syria - A Hong Kong democracy leader is viciously attacked - Keep an eye on North Korea - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Three top US Democratic Party leaders walked out of a meeting with Donald Trump about the new Syrian crisis he created after they say he had a "meltdown" over a House vote to condemn his betrayal of the Kurds, and insulted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a "third rate politician" (Pelosi is said to have kept her cool).  The vote on the resolution opposing Trump's withdrawal of US forces from Syria was 354-60:  That means that a vast majority of the Republicans joined with all of the Democrats to pass it, revealing a potential split in Trump's support in the House which before this was considered to be solid.  Earlier, Trump said his decision to betray the Kurds by allowing Turkish forces to invade Syria was "strategically brilliant" and then insulted the Kurds - US allies against the so-called Islamic State - by claiming they are "no angels".

If it was so strategically brilliant, then why did Trump dispatch Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to go to Turkey to pressure President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull back out of Syria?  They'll apparently be carrying (or will be undercut) by a letter written by Donald Trump urging Erdogan to "make a deal" and warning "don't be a tough guy" lest Trump "destroy" the Turkish economy.  Sad to say, the letter reads like it was written by a 10 year old, and several news outlets at first refused to report on it for fear it was a hoax - but the White House confirmed its authenticity.  Earlier, Erdogan said he would not discuss the situation with anyone but Donald Trump but later relented.  Turkey's invasion has created a new refugee crisis in a region where some 1.6 million people already rely on humanitarian aid - more than 160,000 people have been forced to flee the new fighting, including many who were displaced by earlier battles in Syria's eight-year civil war.

A British couple whose son was killed in a traffic collision says they were "ambushed" and "defiled" by Donald Trump when they met him in the White House.  19-year old Harry Dunn was on a motorbike struck by a car in Northamptonshire, UK two months ago, but the driver - the wife of a US diplomat - went back home after the US refused to waive diplomatic immunity.  Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn went to the White House to ask for Trump's help in extraditing the bad driver; he refused, but instead informed them that the driver was in the next room, waiting to speak.  They left the White House in disgust, and critics have piled on the administration for staging such a low-brow, cheap reality TV show stunt on the grieving couple who was just seeking justice.  

A leader of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement is in a serious condition this morning after being attacked by a mob of men wielding hammers.  Civil Human Rights Front said leader Jimmy Sham "received a bloody head wound" during the attack in Kowloon "and was sent to Kwong Wah hospital," the group said in a statement.  This came hours after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was heckled in the territory's parliament, forcing her to leave the chamber and deliver her annual address via video hook up.  Pro-democracy protests have disrupted life in Hong Kong for several months now, even though Carrie Lam long ago gave in to their chief demand, to drop a controversial extradition bill that critics said would allow Hong Kong to send political prisoners to Beijing for trial.

Mexico's Senate within the next few days is expected to approve a bill to fully legalize marijuana.  It would mark a major step toward changing the drug war by removing cannabis as a source of income for violent drug gangs.  "The end of the prohibitionist policy is good for the country," said Senator Ricardo Monreal, the leader of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's MORENA party in the upper house.  Late last year, Mexico's Supreme Court said lawmakers have until 24 October to legalize it.

Australia is one of a dozen countries where authorities arrested suspects in a world wide child pornography ring.  Authorities say a South Korea-based dark web site accepted Bitcoins in exchange for access to 250,000 heinous videos showing violent child abuse.  At least 23 children were rescued, but others in the videos have not been identified.  The site's operator plus 337 clients in twelve different countries have been charged so far.

And North Korea might be about to do something - something big.  Pyongyang has released a bunch of PR photos showing leader Kim Jong-un riding a white horse on the snowy slopes of Mount Paektu, a setting that has figured prominently in Korean lore and North Korean propaganda.  The state-run KCNA news agency made references to the "noble glitters" in Kim's eyes, and hinted of "a great event of weighty importance" to the nation.  So, buckle up.