Thompson honored for Olympic gold-medal win, then scores in Sabres' 3-2 victory over Golden Knights.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored after being honored for helping theU.S. win an Olympic gold medal in hockey, and the Buffalo Sabres won their fourth straight game by beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Golden Knights Sabres Hockey

Owen Power and Jason Zucker also scored for the surging Sabres. Buffalo improved to 25-5-2 in its past 32, and its 35 wins through 61 games are the team's most since having 41 over the same span in 2006-07.

Alex Lyon made 29 saves to improve to 13-2 in his past 15 starts.

Pavel Dorofeyev, with his team-leading 29th goal, and Ivan Barbashev scored and Vegas matched a season-low by losing three straight in regulation. The slumping Golden Knights also dropped to 4-8-2 in their past 14.

Akira Schmid stopped 25 shots.

The Sabres appeared in control by opening a 3-0 lead on Thompson's goal 5:44 into the second period. Thompson scored his team-leading 33rd goal by accepting Alex Tuch's no-look pass and beating Schmid high on the far side with a shot from the right circle.

The Golden Knights, however, responded with Barbashev and Dorofeyev scoring 1:37 apart to cut the lead to 3-2 by the 8:27 mark of the period.

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Thompson was honored during a pre-game ceremony in Buffalo's first home game since returning from theOlympicbreak last week.

Thompson drew loud cheers in taking a ceremonial opening faceoff with fellow Olympian and Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who even attracted applause in facing his former team.

The Golden Knights played without captain Mark Stone, who sustained an undisclosed injury in a 5-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Stone is with the team getting treatment and listed him as day to day.

Up next

Golden Knights: Close five-game trip at Detroit on Wednesday.

Sabres: At Pittsburgh on Thursday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

byAlpha World

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

March 04, 2026

Thompson honored for Olympic gold-medal win, then scores in Sabres' 3-2 victory over Golden Knights.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored after being honored for helping theU.S. win an Olympic gold medal in hockey, an...

Read More

With partners who were in the U.S. illegally, some American women choose to move to Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Lois Muñoz, originally from Brooklyn, New York, has been living in her husband Alfredo's family compound in Puebla, Mexico, for the past three months. Because she has no car and speaks very little Spanish, her world has shrunk dramatically from the busy life she led as a waitress at a diner in Middletown, New York.

Muñoz is one of a growing number of Americans who've made the move south, choosing to accompany their undocumented spouses who are voluntarily leaving in light of President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

A report released in December by American Families United, a nonprofit organization advocating for U.S. citizens and their immigrant spouses, estimated that 1.5 million U.S. citizens are separated or live in fear of separation from the person or country they love because they are in relationships with mixed immigration statuses. The report details the impact for children born of mixed-status marriages, who remain in limbo because of their parents' immigration statuses.

NBC News spoke with three families facing wrenching choices: stay in the U.S. and risk a loved one's ending up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, restart their lives together in Mexico or decide to live apart.

For Muñoz, making the move to Mexico was an easier legal path than risking her husband being detained. Americans married to or in common-law relationships with Mexican nationals can apply fortemporary, then permanent, Mexican residency under "Family Unit" rulesand then obtain work permits. However, the move came with significant sacrifices, as well as a language barrier.

"I lost everything; everything's gone. All my Christmas stuff gone that I saved for years, all my Halloween decorations," Muñoz said in a video call. "But it's OK. My husband's going to be safe."

She admitted that it has been lonely. "Your husband's there, but it's not like you've got a friend. I thank God I have my two cats, because they are company," she said.

The couple got together almost 18 years ago when Alfredo asked Lois to dance at a bar.

As their relationship progressed, he told her that he had originally gone to the U.S. illegally to earn money to help his ailing parents, she said. Alfredo said he walked across the border illegally in 2003, was able to fly home and back, and then last entered in September 2010. Because Alfredo had more than one illegal entry, he was permanently barred from legal pathways to stay.

"After we got married, we inquired with a couple of lawyers and never got anywhere. And, you know, we were OK," she said.

The couple plowed themselves into work and weren't fearful — until Trump took office.

"I worried about him every time he left the house. He worked all over the New York area and New Jersey and Pennsylvania," Muñoz said about his construction work. "We were always hearing stories about 'Oh, they took so and so, they took so and so.' I was always worried, worried, worried."

It's a stark change for Muñoz, who is in her 50s and a mother of four adult children still in the U.S.

"I was around people constantly. I had regular clientele where I worked. So I was always socializing. On my days off, I was constantly going," she said. "Now I feel like I have no sense of purpose."

Alfredo is hopeful about their new life in Mexico. "It was like a month that I felt a little strange, a little different," he said in Spanish. "But now, it seems that we're both going to fit in here."

The Muñozes aren't alone in their move.

North of Puebla, in Mexico City, Haley Pulver, 34, is navigating a similar journey.

She moved here from Connecticut in August with her partner of three years, Oscar Enríquez.

The pair met on the dating app Tinder and started out as friends. Enríquez said he remembers being lonely, with no friends outside of his welding work, and how he felt he could be fully himself when he was with her.

It was a while before she knew he was living in the U.S. undocumented. He told her that he had unknowingly overstayed a visa in 2019, she said. Then, two months later, he was detained for about a week before he was released. He had never been in jail before, "so it was shocking," he said of being taken away in chains.

Pulver said a judge issued an order for his removal last year.

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"I don't remember the specific conversation that we had, but he brought it up. And then, of course, I had to get the info. So I asked 500 questions," she said.

Pulver, like many of the loved ones of undocumented migrants, was using apps and Facebook to track the whereabouts of federal agents.

"It got to the point where the ICE situation just seemed so out of control. We had plans in case he got pulled over. It got to a point where it was very stressful," she said.

That stress, in addition to the order for his removal, led Pulver to sell her car and furniture, quit her job as a rights and clearances coordinator for ITV America, pack her entire life into a "giant" box and two suitcases and move to Mexico.

"It was very difficult at first, because I had never left the United States. I'd never even left the East Coast," she said. They moved into a home in the capital that Enríquez had purchased using money he'd saved from work in the U.S.

"My Spanish was very limited, and his parents don't really speak English. I've slowly been getting out of the house by myself," she said.

Meanwhile, Enríquez said, they are getting used to their new life. "I'm rediscovering Mexico City, because it was a long time ago I left," he said. "So I'm trying to rediscover everything with her."

For now, Melissa Byrd is living apart from her partner of almost two decades, Jesus Jimenez Meza. She is in South Carolina, and he is in Veracruz.

Byrd and Jimenez got together in the unlikeliest of circumstances — she was grieving her husband, who died in 2007 after having been unwell for many years, when her 9-year-old son set her up with his friends' uncle.

"My daughter was actually dating one of his nephews at the time," Byrd, who has worked for a school district in various capacities for decades, said. "He basically took my son under his wing and was kind of like a father figure to him. And even to this day, they're just like this. They're so close."

Jimenez, who had overstayed after he entered the U.S. on a work visa in the late 1990s, was helping raise both of Byrd's grandchildren. Then, in February 2025, he was sued for breach of contract by a construction client, Byrd said. Though a judge threw the case out, ICE agents arrived the next day, and he was taken to a detention center in Georgia before he was sent to Mexico on a government-chartered flight, she said.

The pair reunited in Veracruz and spent a few days on a beach to decompress.

In the year since Jimenez returned to Mexico, Byrd has visited him four times. She hopes to move there in a year when her granddaughter is a little older and has adjusted to going to day care.

"Everybody relied on Jesus. He was the backbone of our family, and that's not here anymore," she said.

The Department of Homeland Security said 2.2 million people who were in the country illegally have self-deported since January 2025. "With over 700,000 deportations during President Trump's first year in office, those still in this country illegally should realize that this administration will enforce the laws of this nation," a spokesperson said in a statement.

The realities for couples like Byrd and Jimenez are both challenging and complex. Long-standing immigration law bars people who have overstayed their visas by more than a year from returning to the U.S. for a decade, even if they're married to American citizens.

It's something the proposed American Families United Act, a bipartisan bill introduced last March, is looking to challenge.

Under the act, immigration judges and officials would be able to weigh the impact of family separation and grant families relief case by case.

While the bill seems currently stalled, if it passed, it would make a huge difference to Lois Muñoz, who, despite having been married to Alfredo since 2016, has no way of fast-tracking his return to the U.S.

In the meantime, her life in Puebla has narrowed to taking the bus into town for pedicures and her extended family's daily 2 p.m. lunch together. That has brought along a new challenge: On Fridays, it's her turn to prepare lunch, she said.

"Do you know how intimidating it is cooking Mexican meals for a Mexican family in the middle of Mexico?"

byAlpha World

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

March 04, 2026

With partners who were in the U.S. illegally, some American women choose to move to Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Lois Muñoz, originally from Brooklyn, New York, has been living in her husband Alfredo's family compoun...

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Rams mock draft roundup: L.A. picks Matthew Stafford's heir at QB

The NFL offseason is starting to gain steam.

Free agency is just a week away, and teams are starting to make decisions on their rosters — as evidenced by theArizona Cardinals moving on from Kyler MurrayandTrey Hendrickson bidding farewellto Cincinnati on social media after it was announced theBengalswould not be franchise tagging the 31-year-old edge rusher.

TheNFL scouting combine finished upover the weekend. We saw players such as Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq andArkansas QB Taylen Greenboost their draft stock with record-breaking performances, and we saw others — such as Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.'s arm length measurements — come up a bit short.

And with all that also comes a fresh batch of mock drafts from across the football media landscape. TheLos Angeles Ramsare in prime position to swing big with multiple first round picks for the first time since they were in St. Louis, but will they?

MORE:The LA Rams 10 years after return continue to build something special

Here's what the experts think:

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2026Ramsmock draft roundup

No. 13 (fromAtlanta)

USA TODAY Sports: WR Denzel Boston, Washington

ESPN: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

NFL.com: WR Makai Lemon, USC

Bleacher Report: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

CBS Sports: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee

USA TODAY Sports:"LA had the league's No. 1 passing game in 2025 – in large part due to Puka Nacua's heroics. But Davante Adams, 33, was the only other productive wideout and battled injuries late in the season and is only under contract for one more year. Boston (6-4, 212) is the kind of supersized red-zone target (20 TD catches since 2024) and boundary receiver who could provide an easy transition from Adams while perfectly complementing Nacua."— Nate Davis

CBS Sports:"The Rams need to bolster their secondary, and Hood is a physical, ultra-competitive press-man specialist with elite perimeter run-support skills."—Ryan Wilson

2. New York Jets – OLB/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 3. Arizona Cardinals – OLB/DE Arvell Reese, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 4. Tennessee Titans – RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 5. New York Giants – LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 6. Cleveland Browns – OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 7. Washington Commanders – S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 8. New Orleans Saints – WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 9. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Spencer Fano, Utah

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 10. Cincinnati Bengals – DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 11. Miami Dolphins – CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 12. Dallas Cowboys – CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – WR Denzel Boston, Washington

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 14. Baltimore Ravens – DL Caleb Banks, Florida

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – WR Makai Lemon, USC

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 17. Detroit Lions – OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 18. Minnesota Vikings – S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 19. Carolina Panthers – DT Peter Woods, Clemson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – OLB/DE T.J. Parker, Clemson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 21. Pittsburgh Steelers – WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 22. Los Angeles Chargers – G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 23. Philadelphia Eagles – DE/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 30. Denver Broncos – WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 31. New England Patriots – DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NFL mock draft: First-round projection following the scouting combine

No. 29

USA TODAY Sports: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

ESPN: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

NFL.com: CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson

Bleacher Report: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

CBS Sports: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

USA TODAY Sports:"An organization that hasn't had multiple first-round picks since 2014 is in the enviable position of bolstering the roster around QB Matthew Stafford in a bid to make up just a bit of ground on the Super Bowl champion Seahawks … or maybe use some of that capital on a successor for Stafford. Simpson might be that guy even though injuries and inconsistency – including an atypically weaker Crimson Tide roster – caused him to tail off after a strong start in 2025.

"With only 15 college starts, landing in a spot where he could sit and watch for a year or two – or three – while absorbing first-class tutelage would be hugely beneficial."—Nate Davis

ESPN:"If we're going strictly by talent, McCoy is a top-10 prospect in this class. But he hasn't played a game since 2024, missing all of last season after suffering an ACL tear in January 2025. We're still not sure where he's at in his recovery, as he did not participate in testing or drills at the combine.

"This gives the Rams -- who haven't drafted a corner in the first round since 2006 or before Day 3 since 2019 -- the potential to get a steal here. McCoy is an easy mover who has squeaky-clean technique. All eyes will be on Tennessee's pro day on March 31, when McCoy is expected to participate in a full workout."—Jordan Reid

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Rams mock draft roundup: What experts are predicting with 2026 picks

byAlpha World

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

March 04, 2026

Rams mock draft roundup: L.A. picks Matthew Stafford's heir at QB

The NFL offseason is starting to gain steam. Free agency is just a week away, and teams are starting to make d...

Read More

Factbox-Number of Iranian missiles and drones fired at Gulf countries

March 4 (Reuters) - Here are statistics released by Gulf defence ‌ministries on drones and ‌missiles that Iran has fired at ​their territories since the start of the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran:

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

Ballistic missiles:

* 189 ‌ballistic missiles ⁠detected * 175 intercepted * 13 fell into the sea * 1 ⁠landed on UAE territory

* 941 drones detected * 876 intercepted * 65 fell within UAE ​territory

Cruise missiles:

8 ​detected and ​destroyed

Ballistic missiles:

* 101 ‌ballisistic missles detected * 98 intercepted

* 39 drones detected * 24 drones intercepted

Cruise missiles:

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* 3 cruise missles detected and intercepted

* 2 Sukhoi SU-24 ‌aircraft detected and ​intercepted

* 73 missiles ​destroyed

* ​91 drones destroyed

Ballistic missiles:

* ‌178 ballistic missiles monitored ​and ​intercepted

* 384 drones monitored and intercepted

No data was available for Saudi ​Arabia ‌and Oman.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills; ​Editing by Gareth Jones ​and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)

byAlpha World

in Celebrities, Lifestyle, Politics, ShowBiz, Sports

March 04, 2026

Factbox-Number of Iranian missiles and drones fired at Gulf countries

March 4 (Reuters) - Here are statistics released by Gulf defence ‌ministries on drones and ‌missiles that Iran has fired ...

Read More