It’s October 16th. Today, we Skimm’d This: The US troop withdrawal from northern Syria is creating a power vacuum, and the Russian and the Syrian militaries are filling it. We’ll break down why Russia cares so much about Syria and how recent developments could affect the broader civil war in Syria. The US House of Representatives just passed a series of bills in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. We’ll explain the impact the legislation could have, and why leaders in Hong Kong and China say the US is overstepping. Ronan Farrow dropped by Skimm HQ today and shared some of the challenges he says he faced while reporting on Harvey Weinstein. And we’ve got the story of one man and his virtual message in a bottle. theSkimm: Russian and Syrian troops swooped into parts of northern Syria this week, just days after US troops pulled out. Given the history between Russia and Syria this isn’t much of a surprise, but it could still have a big impact on the future of the ongoing Syrian civil war. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s leader tried to deliver her ‘state of the union’ speech today, only to have opposition lawmakers shout her off the stage. Now, she’s facing fresh pushback from across the Pacific – in the US Congress. Also on today’s show: Ronan Farrow opens up on the process of reporting the Harvey Weinstein story, and one good Samaritan's clever move to help return a wallet.