Here's how the Las Vegas shooting compares to all of the U.S. mass shooting events since 2013, using data from the Gun Violence Archive. The group uses a broad definition of mass shootings: any reported incident where at least four people were shot or killed — excluding the shooter — at the same time and location.
Sen. Rand Paul tweeted a shot across the bow to Congressional Republicans over the GOP tax plan this afternoon:
Why it matters: Republicans can only afford to lose three votes on tax reform, and retiring Sen. Bob Corker has made it clear that he won't vote for a bill that increases the deficit. Now, Paul's tweet only complicates the matter further — and puts the pressure on Mitch McConnell to deliver a final bill that's acceptable to his members.
President Trump was joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and his wife Karen on the White House lawn this afternoon for a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.
Sarah Sanders was choked up Monday while she detailed some of the horrific stories of the victims who were attacked in Las Vegas on Sunday night. She also pointed to the acts of heroism that were shown on the scene, stating that "The American spirit cannot and will not ever be broken."
Paul Manafort was told that his campaign work for President Trump would "hugely enhance [his] reputation" with a billionaire Russian oligarch he'd previously worked with, according to email exchanges obtained by The Atlantic.
Think back: The Washington Post dropped a scoop a few weeks ago that Manafort promised "private briefings" to Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska, who has close ties to Vladimir Putin. The emails obtained by The Atlantic make clear the full scope of Manafort's conversations with one of Deripaska's acquaintances, which include surreptitious references to a New York meeting to discuss "the guy who gave [Manafort his] biggest black caviar jar."
President Trump addressed the country Monday from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room following the attack on Las Vegas late Sunday night when a shooter opened fire on an outdoor concert.
His quote: "My fellow Americans. We are joined together today in sadness, shock and grief... It was an act of pure evil."
Democrats took the opportunity after the mass shooting in Las Vegas to call for more policy changes, including Sen. Chris Murphy, who became a leading advocate against gun violence following the Newtown elementary school shooting:
"This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was welcomed back to Capitol Hill Thursday with a standing ovation from his fellow Congressman, sat down with Politico's Tim Alberta to share the emotional story of his near-death experience after being shot at a Congressional baseball practice in June. After coming close to bleeding out on the field, Scalise recalls his first memory of the gunfire:
Standing on a baseball field, "you're not thinking 'that's a bullet' ... I felt it … and I just went to the ground. I still had enough energy to start crawling—I'm crawling just to get away. And then my arms just gave out. And at that point, I'm just lying on the ground and I'm hearing gunfire. And so I just started praying. I mean, literally, just started praying. It was weird: I got almost an ease over me, because I felt like, you know what, there's nothing I can—I can't move. So I'm just going to pray to God and put [it] in his hands."
American spies were reportedly among the first and most severely affected victims of the mysterious health attacks which have led to hearing loss and brain injury on U.S. diplomats in Cuba, per AP.
Why it matters: Prior to this report, U.S. officials had described the 21 victims simply as "members of the diplomatic community," which suggested that only bona fide diplomats and their family members were hit, suggesting no rational motivation for the attacks aside from upsetting U.S.-Cuban relations.
