Good Morning Australia!! - The Lion Air plane that crashed had technical issues on an earlier flight - The woman who kept stability in Europe is getting ready to step down - Deadly racism in the USA - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Lion Airlines Flight JT610 had problems with its instruments before it crashed into the sea north of Jakarta yesterday.  The pilot's log from a previous leg of the flight said that an altimeter on the new Boeing 737 Max was "unreliable" and he had to hand over control of the jet to the first officer.  Indonesian searchers have found debris from the flight including seats and personal items, and have recovered a few bodies of the 189 passengers and crew who were on board. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced she is winding down her public service career.  After her center right/center Left coalition posted worse than expected results in another state election, Merkel said she is stepping down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, will not run for reelection as chancellor, and exit office at the end of her current term in 2021.  In the past, she has said that being party chief was the key to her success as Chancellor, so giving that up is a big deal.  With Merkel leading Germany since 2005, the European Union has been strong, stable and largely able to withstand the emergence of far-right parties.  In recent years, however, the added pressure of a sudden wave of migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia shattered the calm and resulted in a backlash from the right that ignores the successes of a united Europe in favor of cheap and ineffective tribalism.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warns that Indonesia would have a "very negative reaction" if Australia followed Donald Trump's lead and moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  Current PM Scott Morrison flirted with the idea a couple of weeks ago.  But on the sidelines of a conference in Bali, Mr.Turnbull said, "This is after all the largest majority Muslim country in the world so we have to be very clear-eyed about that," adding, "We have to take into account Australia's national interest, and our interests in the region, when we consider decisions like this."  There were fears that Morrison's idea might derail the trade agreement with Australia, but the ABC report the deal appears to be on track.

Three American terrorists: 

In Pittsburgh, 46-year old Robert Bowers was charged with 29 Federal crimes for Saturday morning's massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue.  Prosecutors say Bowers burst in to Shabbat services with an assault weapon and several handgun, and murdered eleven mostly elderly congregants.  Bowers was in a wheelchair after police shot him during his apprehension on Saturday; he faces the death penalty if convicted.

In Miami, prosecutors charged #MagaBomber suspect Cesar Sayoc with mailing more than a dozen package bombs to Democratic Party officials including ex-President Barack Obama, and Democratic allies like George Soros and actor Robert De Niro.  Prosecutors told the judge that 56-year old Sayoc kept a list of about 100 potential targets, all of whom were targets of Trump's criticism, in the van in which he lived which was plastered with pro-Trump and anti-Democratic propaganda.  None of the bombs went off, but he apparently made a lot of them because the Atlanta postal processing center caught yet another one on Monday morning before it could get to CNN.  For now, Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes; the proceedings will likely be transferred to New York City where most of the packages were addressed.

And Louisville, Kentucky, a police chief told a church congregation that the murders of two African Americans in a suburban grocery store was indeed a hate crime.  Charged is 51-year old Gregory Alan Bush, a racist ne'er-do-well with a history of violence and spousal abuse.  Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers called Bush's motive "the elephant in the room that some don’t want to acknowledge in this case".

Anyway..

The White House is denying that Donald Trump's rhetoric and embrace of nationalism is behind the Pittsburgh massacre.  Although gunman Robert Bowers' social media indicated that he believed Trump wasn't far enough to the right, he spouted the same white nationalism that has been part of Trump's campaign rallies.  "I think it's irresponsible to blame (Trump) and members of his administration for those heinous acts," said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.  More than 41,000 reform Jews have signed an open letter to Trump calling on him to stay away from Pittsburgh until he renounces racism and white nationalism.

Venice is experiencing its worst flooding since 2012, and there are fears it could get as bad or worse than the record flooding in 1966.  Tourists and residents in St. Mark's Square could be seen wading in nearly waist deep water.  Sirens blared across the city early in the day when the water surpassed 43 inches; by late afternoon more than 70 percent of the city was flooded.  The rising floor in the lagoon adjoining Venice is caused by incoming silt, but it is being exasperated by the overall increase in sea levels caused by global warming.