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The Latest: N. Macedonia police detain migrants, suspect

Police in North Macedonia say they have detained 45 migrants in a van close to the border with Serbia and arrested the driver on suspicion of people-smuggling. A police statement Thursday said 42 of the migrants are Pakistanis, two are Afghans and one is Syrian. The van driver was identified as a man from North Macedonia.

As U.S. watchdog retreats, mortgage firms reprise cozy marketing arrangements

U.S. mortgage firms are getting back into joint marketing and advertising arrangements, reviving a controversial practice that was effectively banned in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Such arrangements involve mortgage originators and title insurers, hungry for sales leads, paying a real estate broker or homebuilder to promote their services and products, or to rent a desk in their offices.

London Zoo launches its trickiest annual task - the weigh-in

Bullfrogs, pythons and penguins were among creatures being coaxed onto the scales at London Zoo this week for the annual check on their weight and size. The check-up allows keepers to assess the animals' general health, find out about pregnancies, when they are about to moult, and help to administer medicines according to their weight, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said.

European Central Bank weighs stimulus mix as Germany slows

The European Central Bank is weighing a broad package of stimulus measures including an interest rate cut and new bond purchases to counter worries that economic growth is slowing more than expected amid U.S.-China trade tensions. Many analysts expect the bank to add stimulus at its Sept. 12 meeting. Both the ECB and the Federal Reserve in the United States have shifted their stance toward more stimulus as worries about the global economy have grown in recent weeks.

Danish ex-PM attacks Trump for comments on defense spending

A former Danish prime minister on Thursday lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump for his tweet about military spending, saying defense willingness is not just about the amount of money spent. Lars Loekke Rasmussen's comment is the latest in an escalating spat between the U.S. and Denmark after Trump scrapped a visit to the country, saying current Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was "nasty" when she rejected his idea of buying Greenland as an absurdity. Loekke Rasmussen, who led the country until June, tweeted Thursday to Trump: "We have had (proportionally) exactly the same numbers of casualties in Afghanistan as US.

Taylor Swift performs live on 'GMA,' reveals she'll re-record her old albums

In one of the most anticipated concerts in years, Taylor Swift rocked out live on "GMA" Thursday morning in front of thousands of fans -- some of whom had started camping out late Wednesday night. Before the performance, Swift spoke to "GMA's" Robin Roberts, including about owning her own work and how she plans to re-record her original music catalog next year.

Italy's Democrats: Let's try for alternative to Salvini

Italy's opposition Democrats signaled their willingness Thursday to work with an archrival to cobble together a Europe-centric coalition solid enough to counter fast-rising nationalist leader Matteo Salvini and avoid an early election. Intent on triggering that early election, Salvini yanked his right-wing League party's support from Premier Giuseppe Conte's populist government, triggering its collapse this week. The move was an apparent bid by Salvini to ride the crest of the rising popularity of the League and himself and capture the premiership.

California police arrest hotel worker allegedly planning mass shooting

* Long Beach police: suspect had huge arsenal and well-laid plans * Rodolfo Montoya allegedly plotted revenge attack on MarriottThis undated photo released by the Long Beach police department shows weapons and ammunition seized from a cook at a Los Angeles-area hotel who allegedly threatened a mass shooting. Photograph: APPolice in Long Beach, California, appear to have thwarted a mass shooting by arresting a hotel cook who had amassed an astonishing cache of powerful firearms and had well-laid plans to carry out a gun rampage throughout the hotel.Rodolfo Montoya, 37, was picked up at his home in Huntington Beach on Tuesday. The previous day he had allegedly confessed to a fellow worker at the Long Beach Marriott that he planned to carry out the attack as a revenge act for a grudge he bore the company.The fellow worker immediately sounded the alarm. In ensuing searches, police discovered the pile of firearms that included pistols, two assault rifles of the sort used in several recent mass shootings, a pump-action shotgun and thousands of rounds of ammunition.The alleged foiled plot to attack the Marriott once again puts the spotlight on America’s lax gun laws. A key question being addressed by detectives is how Montoya came to amass such a stash of deadly weapons without drawing attention to himself.It is thought that he had no prior criminal record, which would have freed him to buy some firearms over the counter. Even so, several of the weapons in his possession are illegal in California including the assault rifles and investigators will try to find out whether he obtained them by nefarious means or out of state.Robert Luna, the police chief of Long Beach, addressed the guns issue on Tuesday. He recognized a “serious conversation” was taking place across the US about access to lethal weapons. “There is no question that as a country and as a community, we are having a conversation about that and need to do more, and we should be doing more,” he said.Donald Trump promised to tighten background checks on the sale of firearms in the wake of the pair of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, earlier this month that killed 31 people. But in a pattern that has been seen before he subsequently walked back his pledges having been lobbied by the National Rifle Association.But Trump is likely to remain under pressure over gun policy given the spate of arrests being made across the country of individuals apparently motivated to carry out copycat attacks after El Paso and Dayton.Montoya’s arrest in California brings to at least seven the number of mass shootings or white supremacist plots that police claim to have intercepted since the Texas rampage.They included Conor Climo, 23, from Las Vegas who allegedly planned to attack Jews and a gay bar in the city. Climo is reported to have told police that he belonged to a neo-Nazi group.Three planned gun rampages were apparently thwarted last week alone in separate incidents in Connecticut, Florida and Ohio.

Former Manafort deputy Rick Gates set to testify against Greg Craig

Rick Gates was thrust into public view in August 2017 when he and Manafort were indicted in the first case publicly brought by Mueller’s office.

U.S. jobless claims fall in sign of labor market strength

The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, suggesting the labor market was holding firm despite a manufacturing slowdown and concerns the economy is on a path toward recession. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 209,000 for the week ended Aug. 17, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, edged up 500 to 214,500 last week.

First manned Titanic expedition in 14 years reveals 'shocking' deterioration

First manned Titanic expedition in 14 years reveals 'shocking' deterioration originally appeared on abcnews.go.comFor the first time in 14 years, a manned dive has visited the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.The world's most famous sunken ship rests 12,500 feet down on the icy seafloor, some 370 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. This month, a deep-sea exploration team of experts and scientists completed five dives to the shipwreck over eight days, using a human-occupied submersible. ...

Demi Burnett opens up about having the first same-sex relationship in 'Bachelor in Paradise' history

Demi Burnett dropped a "Bachelor in Paradise" bombshell that sent Bachelor nation into a frenzy, and now she's opening up for the first time after she came out to fans as bisexual. Burnett sat down with ABC News and said "it means a lot" to be in a position to have been able to come out on the show.

Special Report: How Cuba taught Venezuela to quash military dissent

In December 2007, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez suffered his first defeat at the polls. Stung, Chavez turned to a close confidant, according to three former advisors: Fidel Castro. The aging Cuban leader had mentored Chavez years before the Venezuelan became president, when he was still best known for leading a failed coup.

Man with arsenal allegedly threatened hotel mass shooting

A cook at a Los Angeles-area hotel was arrested after he allegedly threatened a mass shooting and stockpiled guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at his home, police said Wednesday. Rodolfo Montoya, 37, was taken into custody Tuesday at his Huntington Beach home, police said. Montoya was upset over a work-related human resources issue when he told a co-worker at the Long Beach Marriott on Monday that "he was going to shoot up fellow employees and people coming into the hotel," Police Chief Robert Luna said.

Strong storms set to batter Midwest and East, high fire danger in the West

A large area of the country will see strong storms continuing today with possible flash flooding in areas all the way from Oklahoma to Maine. Flash flood watches are currently in effect for four states including Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois this morning where some areas have already seen up to 5 inches of rain. Later this afternoon and evening the cold front that has been the catalyst for the storms in the Plains will move to the East Coast with strong storms and damaging winds from Maine to the Carolinas including Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Raleigh.