Las Vegas massacre, talk of gun control will shatter the so-called unity in Congress

In an image from CNN, at least two people, one with streaks of blood on her upper legs, are shown on the ground after a gunman opened fire with automatic weapons on the crowd at a music concert Sunday night in Las Vegas, killing nearly 60 and wounding close to 500 others.

The gunman, who was found dead in his hotel room along with numerous weapons, was identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, a retired accountant who liked to play $100-a-hand poker, his brother told CNN. Their father was a bank robber.

WILL TRUMP BE ROUNDLY BOOED NOW THAT HE'S ARRIVED IN PUERTO RICO?

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Just 5 days ago, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana received a standing ovation as he returned to the floor of the House for the first time since he was shot and critically wounded on a baseball field.

The news media called his appearance "triumphant," and more than one outlet noted officials from both sides of the aisle enjoyed a rare moment of "unity."

But in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history on Sunday night in Las Vegas, that so-called unity will quickly fall apart, if any representative dare call for restrictions on semi-automatic weapons or more thorough background checks.

And Scalise, the Republican majority whip, likely would lead the charge against what guns-rights advocates falsely claim is erosion of the constitutional right to bear arms.

Scalise, an opponent of gun control, has been given an A-rating by the National Rifle Association, the lobbying group that long ago bought and paid for congressional inaction on the issue.

'Act of pure evil'

In scripted comments, President Trump on Monday called the Las Vegas murders "an act of pure evil," but avoided mention of gun restrictions so as not to inflame supporters in militia groups.

They are sometimes called the "private police" for the white supremacist, KKK and neo-Nazi groups that have so openly supported Trump's chaotic presidency.

The deadliest mass shooting before the murders in Las Vegas was inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., where security guard Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 others on June 12, 2016.

The brother of Stephen Paddock, the gunman in Las Vegas, now lives in Orlando.

Puerto Rico

Trump arrived in Puerto Rico today, but his schedule will limit his exposure to the public, The New York Times is reporting.

He will be briefed by local officials in a hangar at an Air National Guard Base, then meet with storm victims at an undisclosed location, the newspaper said.

Then, he will go to a Navy amphibious assault ship to meet with the governors of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

White House officials have been nervous that if protesters greeted Trump, it might set off another Twitter storm criticizing Puerto Ricans and their officials for not doing enough to help themselves after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

More lies

Although the 3.5 million residents are American citizens, their representative in Congress can't vote and they themselves can't vote for president -- the likely reason Trump has treated them like shit.

Maria hit the island on Sept. 20, so the president waited nearly two full weeks to visit, all the while claiming the United States was doing a great job of helping them.

Trump has refused to give up lying about everything under the sun, which is precisely how he got elected.