Monday’s top story: Syrian and Turkish forces on a collision course in Kurdish territory. Plus, the nepotism and partisanship crisis in the US civil service

Subscribe now to receive the morning briefing by email.

Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

Conflict ‘worse by the hour’ as US troops withdraw en masse

Syrian troops surged into the country’s Kurdish-controlled north-east on Monday, after the Kurds struck a Russian-brokered deal with the Assad regime to hand over two key border towns in return for protection from the Turkish military assault. Donald Trump has ordered all US troops to withdraw from northern Syria, as his secretary of defense, Mark Esper, acknowledged on Sunday that the conflict was growing “worse by the hour”, amid reports of atrocities and the escape of hundreds of Isis prisoners.

Turkey sanctions. Trump tweeted on Sunday that he was prepared to impose sanctions on Turkey over the bloodshed. The treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, told ABC’s This Week the Turks “know what we will do if they don’t stop these activities.”

War crimes. Actual or suspected war crimes have been reported at every stage of Syria’s long-running civil war, yet the perpetrators have mostly escaped punishment, writes Simon Tisdall. Will this latest round of bloodletting be any different?

Fake clip of Trump killing critics ‘shown at president’s resort’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The violent video is a modified scene from the film Kingsman: The Secret Service. Photograph: Twitter/YouTube

A mocked-up video that depicts Trump shooting and stabbing his political opponents and critical media outlets in a church was reportedly shown at a meeting of the president’s supporters at one of his resorts in Miami, Florida, where the speakers included Donald Trump Jr and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The video, which CNN described in a statement as “vile and horrific”, is a modified version of a scene from the violent action film Kingsman: The Secret Service, posted on the pro-Trump YouTube channel TheGeekzTeam.

Impeachment inquiry. Trump’s defense secretary, Mark Esper, has indicated the Pentagon will comply with congressional subpoenas demanding records from his department related to the withholding of US military aid to Ukraine.

Pompeo grilling. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, accused Nancy Amons, a local TV reporter in Tennessee, of “working for the Democratic National Committee” after she pressed him over Ukraine in an interview praised among others by journalists Andrea Mitchell and Dan Rather.

At least 40 dead after Japan’s worst storm in decades

Play Video 0:49 'This place was like a sea': survivors rescued after Typhoon Hagibis hits Japan – video

More than 110,000 rescuers are searching for survivors in Japan, after at least 40 people were killed over the weekend as a result of Super-typhoon Hagibis. The worst storm to strike Japan in decades inundated several areas with up to 40% of their average annual rainfall, causing at least 25 Japanese rivers to burst their banks, including the Chikuma and Abukuma in central Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, where the floodwaters topped four metres in some places. At least 16 people remain missing.

Safety failure. A 77-year-old woman fell 40 metres into floodwaters and died on Sunday after rescuers from the Tokyo fire department failed to properly attach a safety harness as she was being winched up to a helicopter in Iwaki City, Fukushima.

Two years on, the #MeToo fight for change continues

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The actor Rosanna Arquette, one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, says the allegations are the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Photograph: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP

Two years after the New York Times and New Yorker first aired claims of widespread sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein, two of his accusers say the existing allegations against the film producer and other powerful men are merely the tip of the #MeToo iceberg. Weinstein’s former assistant, Zelda Perkins, and the actor Rosanna Arquette, welcomed the “profound transformation” brought about by the movement, but told the Guardian they expected further revelations about high-profile men abusing their positions.

‘Glacial change’. The movement has had a widespread impact in multiple sectors. But even though #MeToo began in the film industry, insiders say the pace of reform in Hollywood has been slow.

#MeToo Lit. As “the first post-Weinstein novel” hits the shelves, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett says the literature of #MeToo is coming of age – but men must read it, too.

Cheat sheet

Amid the increasingly violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has warned that any attempt “to split China in any part of the country will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones”.

The white Fort Worth police officer who shot dead a black woman in her own home will be interviewed about the incident by detectives on Monday. A lawyer for the family of 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson has described her death as a murder.

Kais Saied, a conservative law professor with a low-key campaigning style and no previous political profile, appears to have won the Tunisian presidential election runoff by a landslide, defeating the charismatic media magnate Nabil Karoui.

A team of scientists working for the US Fish & Wildlife Service and other agencies are investigating a mysterious mass die-off of mussels in American rivers, with almost two dozen species of the shellfish already extinct in the south-east US alone.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Photograph: Allstar/TRISTAR PICTURES

Why Sarah Connor is the Terminator’s true cultural icon

Thirty-five years since she first tussled with the Terminator – and 28 since she last played the role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor in the new sequel, Dark Fate. Steve Rose argues it is she, not Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is the more influential figure on today’s film landscape.

How AI algorithms are punishing the poor

The Guardian has spent the past three months investigating how billions are being poured into AI innovations to revolutionise welfare benefits systems around the world, from the US to India. Ed Pilkington reports on how the automation of poverty could have devastating consequences for millions of vulnerable people.

The broken dreams of Iranian students barred from the US

Last month, about 20 Iranian students on their way to begin life-changing graduate programmes at American universities were barred from boarding their flights to the US. Caleb Hampton and Simon Campbell spoke to some of those affected, who are still trying to find out why their dreams were dashed at the last minute.

How to let go of a workplace grudge

A grudge against a co-worker can stem from such incidents as serious as a missed promotion or as trivial as an over-toasted bagel, writes Paula Cocozza. She asks the experts how best to manage resentments in the workplace.

Opinion

After JFK nominated his brother to be attorney general, Congress passed an anti-nepotism statute. Under Trump, more than half a century later, it is again time to protect the political appointments process from nepotism and partisanship, says Preet Baraha.

Presidents have the right to have their own people – it’s why President Trump was within his rights to remove me from my former position as US attorney for the Southern District of New York. But the president’s personnel preferences cannot come at the expense of a qualified and ethical corps of public servants.

Sport

The 49ers have their first 5-0 start since 1990 after a 20-7 win over the struggling Rams in LA. But as the first team to lose to the Jets so far this NFL season, it’s time for the Dallas Cowboys to panic, says Hunter Felt.

In the MLB playoffs, the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 3-2 at Minute Maid Park on Sunday night, to level the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.

Sign up

The US morning briefing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.