Happening Today: Las Vegas Shooter, Equifax, Puerto Rico, Nobel Physics Prize, Tom Petty

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Las Vegas Gunman Used Device to Speed Fire

The gunman who unleashed hundreds of rounds of gunfire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas attached what is called a "bump-stock" to two of his weapons, in effect converting semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones. The devices have attracted scrutiny in recent years from authorities. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has long railed against them. Several years ago, she told The Associated Press she was concerned about the emergence of new technologies that could retrofit firearms to make them fully automatic. "This replacement shoulder stock turns a semi-automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of 400 to 800 rounds per minute," she said. A semi-automatic weapon requires one trigger pull for each round fired. With a fully automatic firearm, one trigger pull can unleash continuous rounds until the magazine is empty. The purchasing of fully automatic weapons has been significantly restricted in the U.S. since the 1930s. In 1986, the federal National Firearms Act was amended further to prohibit the transfer or possession of machine guns by civilians, with an exception for those previously manufactured and registered.

“Our Finest Hour”: Tales of Heroism Emerge From Concert Shooting

Tales of heroism from medical professionals, concertgoers and other members of the Las Vegas community have emerged in the wake of the largest mass shooting in modern American history. At least 59 people were killed and more than 500 wounded when Stephen Craig Paddock opened fire in Las Vegas from an elevated hotel room on the Route 91 Harvest Festival, where country music star Jason Aldean was performing for more than 22,000 fans. The 64-year-old gunman killed himself in the hotel room before authorities arrived. Following the shootings, concertgoers helped treat victims and get them to local hospitals. Later, area residents lined up to give blood as people from far and wide donated money. "It’s been our finest hour as a city," Nevada Lt Gov. Mark Hutchinson said at news conference Monday night. "It’s been, I think, among our finest hours as Americans."

A Quarter of Puerto Rico Should Have Power Next Month, Governor Says

A quarter of Puerto Rico will regain power by next month, Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said at a news conference, NBC News reported. The governor said almost half — 47 percent — of residents have running water and that should climb to 60 percent by the end of the week. Hospitals are gaining power and an estimated 139 shelters are open for 8,000 people. About 37 percent of Puerto Ricans have cellphone service although some areas are still cut off from communication, he reported. President Donald Trump is scheduled to land Tuesday in the hurricane-ravaged island. Rosselló said the root of the problem is no power and the difficulty to distribute water, food and medicine to neighborhoods, NBC News reported.

Equifax Says More May Be Affected by Data Breach Than Originally Stated

The massive data breach at Equifax, one of the nation's three major credit reporting agencies, may be even larger than originally thought, according to an investigation by a cybersecurity firm. Mandiant, retained by Equifax to investigate the breach, found that 2.5 million more U.S. consumers were potentially impacted, bringing the total to 145.5 million, CNBC reported. "I want to apologize again to all impacted consumers," said Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr., Equifax's interim CEO. "As this important phase of our work is now completed, we continue to take numerous steps to review and enhance our cybersecurity practices.

Nobel Physics Prize Awards Discovery in Gravitational Waves

The Nobel Physics Prize 2017 has been awarded to three scientists for their discoveries in gravitational waves. Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences announced the winners are Rainer Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Barry Barish and Kip Thorne of the California Institute of Technology. The three were key to the first observation of gravitational waves in September 2015. When the discovery was announced several months later, it was a sensation not only among scientists but the general public. Gravitational waves are extremely faint ripples in the fabric of space and time, generated by some of the most violent events in the universe. Weiss, in a phone call with the news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, said "I view this more as a thing that recognizes the work of a thousand people." Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago as part of his theory of general relativity. General relativity says that gravity is caused by heavy objects bending space-time, which itself is the four-dimensional way that astronomers see the universe.

Rock Legend Tom Petty Dies at 66, Manager Says

Rock star Tom Petty, known for a string of hits including "Free Fallin'," died in California, said Petty's manager on behalf of the family. Petty was 66. The rock legend suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu early Monday and was taken to UCLA Medical Center, according to Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty could not be revived and died at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by his family, friends and bandmates. Petty became a bonafide rock star after bursting on the music scene in 1976 with his group Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. His band had numerous hits over several decades, including “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “Refugee” and “I Won’t Back Down.” Petty was also a member of the supergroup collective the Traveling Wilburys in the late ’80s alongside Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. As news of his death spread, friends and fans took to social media to express their condolences.