Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Photo: Ariel Hermoni / Israel Ministry of Defense via Getty Images
Israeli forces attacked Syrian government and Iranian targets in Syria on Saturday after one of its F-16 jets was downed by what appeared to be Syrian antiaircraft fire, per the N.Y. Times.
Why it matters: This is believed to be the first Israeli jet downed by enemy forces since the 1980s, per the Times. It also marks a direct confrontation between Israeli troops and Iranians.
More than 73.1 million people watched the first presidential debate on television on Tuesday night, according to Nielsen ratings.
Why it matters: While that's a sizable audience for any American TV program, it's down more than 13% from the record number of TV viewers who tuned in for the first debate of the 2016 election. The chaotic nature of the debate and the overall uncertainty around this year's election may have pushed some viewers away.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to fund the federal government through Dec. 11, by a vote of 84-10.
Where it stands: The legislation will avert a government shutdown before funding expires Wednesday night and before the Nov. 3 election. The House passed the same measure last week by a vote of 359-57 after House Democrats and the Trump administration agreed on the resolution.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Synthetic biology startups raised some $3 billion through the first half of 2020, up from $1.9 billion for all of 2019, as the field brings the science of engineering to the art of life.
The big picture: Synthetic biologists are gradually learning how to program the code of life the way that computer experts have learned to program machines. If they can succeed — and if the public accepts their work — synthetic biology stands to fundamentally transform how we live.
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