Tuesday's Headlines: Police struggle to discern motive after 59 killed, hundreds hurt in Las Vegas

Attack may be first mass shooting in U.S. using an automatic weapon; Gunman was a high-stakes gambler known for keeping to himself; The lives lost in Las Vegas

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Police struggle to discern motive after 59 killed, hundreds hurt in Las Vegas The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, fired at thousands of unsuspecting concertgoers at a country music festival on the Vegas Strip from a 32nd-floor hotel suite, where authorities said he had an arsenal of 23 weapons. The attack was one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history. Paddock later killed himself, police said. By Lynh Bui, Matt Zapotosky, Devlin Barrett and Mark Berman  •  Read more » Attack may be first mass shooting in U.S. using an automatic weapon One of the weapons apparently used in the Last Vegas shooting was an AK-47 type rifle, with a stand to steady it for firing, according to people familiar with the case. By Michael S. Rosenwald, Devlin Barrett and Alex Horton  •   Read more »   Gunman was a high-stakes gambler known for keeping to himself Stunned family members said Stephen Paddock was quiet and rarely fired guns but often gambled tens of thousands of dollars. By Barbara Liston, William Wan, Sandhya Somashekhar and Aaron C. Davis  •   Read more »   The lives lost in Las Vegas An engaged behavioral therapist had been planning a wedding with her fiance. A University of Nevada student was considering going to dental school. A high school discipline secretary — a wife, mother and grandmother — was known as an "incredibly loving and sincere friend, mentor, and advocate for students." These are the stories of some of the people who were killed in the rampage. By Washington Post staff  •   Read more »   'I felt the gunfire would never stop' At first, concertgoers thought it was a glitch in the sound system, or glass shattering, or fireworks. Then they saw blood. They saw people fall. They saw the country music star flee from the stage. They ran. By Michael Lyle, Heather Long and Marc Fisher  •   Read more »   He was shot helping people during the Las Vegas shooting. His heroics helped his photo go viral. Jonathan Smith grabbed people and told them to follow him toward a handicapped parking area in the direction of the airport, away from Las Vegas Boulevard. By Heather Long  •   Read more »   Obituaries • 1950–2017 Tom Petty, Hall of Fame rocker and frontman for the Heartbreakers, dies at 66 Petty, who recently finished a lengthy North American tour, had been rushed to the hospital Sunday in cardiac arrest. The swaggering singer and his band were known for such hits as "American Girl" and "Don't Come Around Here No More." He began a successful solo career in the late 1980s and won three Grammys. His song "Free Fallin'" spent 21 weeks on the Billboard charts, rising as high as No. 7. By Harrison Smith and Adam Bernstein  •   Read more »   Perspective: Tom Petty's Americana felt stranger than the rest As handsome as they were, his rock-and-roll songs came coated in a thin residue of psychedelic strangeness. And they still glisten in the light. By Chris Richards  •   Read more »   Russians exploited Facebook tool tailored for corporate America to identify, influence voters Russian operatives set up an array of misleading websites and social media pages to identify American voters susceptible to propaganda, then used a powerful Facebook tool to repeatedly send them messages designed to influence their political behavior, say people familiar with the investigation into meddling in the U.S. election. By Elizabeth Dwoskin, Craig Timberg and Adam Entous  •   Read more »   Documents given to investigators from Trump associates reveal 2 previously unreported contacts from Russia Associates of President Trump and his company turned over documents that reveal two previously unreported contacts from Russia during the 2016 campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. The episodes include an invitation for a Trump lawyer to a conference in Russia. The other was a proposal for a Moscow construction project. By Tom Hamburger, Rosalind S. Helderman and Adam Entous  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Mass shootings are an American problem. There's an American solution. By Chris Murphy  •   Read more »   The report Trump officials don't want you to see By Catherine Rampell  •   Read more »   More madness, more cowardice By Richard Cohen  •   Read more »   When white men turn into lone wolves By Alexandra Petri  •   Read more »   Thoughts and prayers, again By Ann Telnaes  •   Read more »   The worst kind of American exceptionalism By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   When Maria hit, 'everything collapsed simultaneously.' Can Puerto Rico rebuild? The hurricane caused widespread dysfunction, knocking out the power grid, cellphone towers and the supply chain. It put everyone in the dark. Now comes the longer-term question of whether the island can rebuild its economy and stave off wholesale flight of its residents to the mainland. By Arelis Hernández, Dan Lamothe and Joel Achenbach  •  Read more »   Nobel Prize in physics won by Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne The Nobel committee said the prize was awarded 'for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.' By Ben Guarino  •   Read more »     Federal watchdog opens probe into travel by Interior Secretary Zinke Three days after Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned amid an outcry over his use of charter flights at taxpayer expense, a spokesperson for the deputy inspector general described a broad investigation into Ryan Zinke's trips: "It's not just one trip," she said. "It's seven months of travel." By Lisa Rein  •   Read more »   The Fix • Analysis White House: Now is not the time to talk about gun control. But 'if you look to Chicago …' President Trump's team can't resist talking about policy, even when it insists that "today is a day for consoling the survivors and mourning those we lost." By Callum Borchers  •   Read more »   Disastrous final minute dooms Redskins against Chiefs Washington's record fell to 2-2 after Kansas City scored nine points in the final minute to win 29-20. Adding to the Redskins' pain is a rib injury sustained by Josh Norman during the game. By Liz Clarke  •   Read more »   Arts and Entertainment • Analysis Clothes that make air travel glamorous. Well, almost. At Maison Margiela, dresses from a deconstructed trench coat, eye masks as accessories. It's just plain fun, okay? By Robin Givhan  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. 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