Morning Brief

Worst US mass shooting ever | S&P 500 rides record | Trump's 'cut the red tape' day

Key Points

CONCERT SHOOTING

In the deadliest shooting massacre in U.S. history, more than 50 people were dead and over 200 were injured after a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday night. (CNBC)

*Police said the shooter, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock from Mesquite, Nevada, was shooting from a hotel room on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay. Authorities said they stormed the room and killed Paddock.

*Marilou Danley, described by authorities as Paddock's roommate and a person of interest, has been located. Earlier rumors of a second shooter were false, police said.

*Country singer Jason Aldean was on stage when the shooting started around 10 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).

*The White House released a statement this morning: "The president has been briefed on the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas. We are monitoring the situation closely and offer our full support to state and local officials. All of those affected are in our thoughts and prayers." Shortly after this morning, Trump tweeted his condolences.

*Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts, which owns the Mandalay Bay, said in a statement: "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of last night's shooting, their families, and those still fighting for their lives. We are working with law enforcement and will continue to do all we can to help all of those involved."

BY THE NUMBERS

On the first trading day of October, U.S. stock futures were higher this morning, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq coming off record Friday closes and four-session winning streaks. The Dow was riding three straight positive sessions. But casino stocks, led by MGM, were under pressure after the concert shooting. (CNBC)

A data-heavy week begins with two economic reports out at 10 a.m. ET this morning: the ISM's September manufacturing index and the government's August construction spending figures. There were no major companies today's earnings calendar. (CNBC)

U.S. crude was sharply lower this morning, though holding above $50-per-barrel. An increase in American drilling and higher OPEC output put the brakes on a rally that pushed prices to their best third-quarter gains in 13 years. (Reuters)

IN THE NEWS TODAY

President Donald Trump holds a "cut the red tape" event at the White House this morning, highlighting White House efforts to eliminate what Trump sees as burdensome government regulation of private businesses. (CNBC)

Trump toughened his rhetoric against North Korea, tweeting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should save his energy and attempts to negotiate with the regime were "wasting" Tillerson's time. (CNBC)

Facebook (FB) turns over ads today to Congress that were linked to Russia in the months before and after the 2016 presidential election. Facebook has already provided U.S. investigators information about the ads. (Reuters)

The government of the Spanish region of Catalonia holds a closed-door Cabinet meeting today following a disputed independence vote marred by violence. Catalonia said about 90 percent favored secession from Spain. (CNBC)

British aviation officials said U.K.-based Monarch Airlines ceased operations with immediate effect, leaving 110,000 customers stranded overseas and about 300,000 future bookings cancelled. (Reuters)

New York restaurateur and Shake Shack (SHAK) founder Danny Meyer is going into the private-equity business, raising $220 million in a fund that's investing in companies that share his employee-centric focus. (WSJ)

With weeks still to go until Halloween, many retailers have already made plans ahead of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when companies hypothetically turn from unprofitable, in the red, to profitable, in the black. (CNBC)

STOCKS TO WATCH

Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google unit removed the requirement that subscription news websites provide three free articles per day or become less prominent in search results.

Walt Disney (DIS) and Altice (ATUS) reached a tentative deal to keep ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels on Altice's Optimum cable service.

Nordstrom's (JWN) talks to take the retailer private are faltering, according to a report in Monday's New York Post.

Regulators voted to remove the systemically important financial institution designation from insurance giant AIG (AIG).

WATERCOOLER

After dipping to No. 2 last weekend, "It" appeared to regain control of the North American box office in its fourth weekend by a slight margin. But all of the top three movies pulled in about $17 million. (AP)