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The U.S. may be responsible for the bombing ofa girls' school in Iranthat killed 168 people, many of them children, on Feb. 28, sources told CBS News.

The preliminary U.S. assessment suggests that the United States is "likely" responsible for the deadly attack but did not intentionally target the school and may have hit it in error, possibly due to the use of dated intelligence which wrongly identified the area as still part of an Iranian military installation, a person briefed on the preliminary intelligence told CBS News.

Israel's military was also not operating in the area, two sources told CBS News.

An additional source familiar with the ongoing inquiry told CBS News that investigators believe the U.S. military may have been responsible because it was operating in the area while Israel's military was not, though no final conclusions have been reached.

And an Israeli government source told CBS News that Israel was not behind the attack and its military was not operating near the school.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that the "investigation is ongoing," and "There are no conclusions at this time, and it is both irresponsible and false for anyone to claim otherwise."

CBS News has confirmed the school building was located in close proximity to two sites controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Minab, a city in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

Footage filmed from a parking lot showed black smoke billowing from a damaged building adorned with murals featuring drawings of crayons, children and an apple. The CBS News Confirmed team geolocated the video to a building in Minab. Iranian media identified the building as the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school.

Iranian state media said at least 168 people, including schoolgirls ages 7 to 12, were killed in the strike which occurred last Saturday, on thefirst day of the war. Saturdays are regular school days in Iran.

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Alist publishedin Iranian state media from authorities in Iran's Minab county claimed to show the names of 57 of those killed.Human Rights Watch has saidat least 48 of those names appear to be children, according to their birthdates on the list, along with their school principal and teachers.

Without providing evidence, President Trump said Saturday that the U.S. believes the bombing "was done by Iran" and cited information that he had seen.

"We think it was done by Iran, because they're very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran," Mr. Trump said aboard Air Force One after attending thedignified transferof six U.S. soldiers who were killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command have both said an investigation was ongoing and did not echo the president's assertions.

Questioned about the incident in aCBS News "60 Minutes"interview that aired Sunday, Hegseth said "unlike our adversaries, the Iranians, we never target civilians," and "it's being investigated, which is the only answer I'm prepared to give."

The New York Times and Reuters were first to report that the U.S. may be behind the fatal bombing.

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes

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Uncertainty deepens over Iran as U.S. and Israeli attacks continue

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian journalist Pavel Dabravolski was convicted Monday of treason and sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security prison, activists said, the fifth media worker to be jailed in two weeks in a relentless government crackdown on freedom of the press.

Belarus Crackdown

Dabravolski, who has reported for international and domestic news outlets and won numerous prizes for his work, was found guilty during a closed-door trial at Minsk City Court, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The 36-year-old most recently worked for BelaPAN, which the Belarusian authorities have designated as extremist.

President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades, has stayed in power through a relentless crackdown on dissent.

Massive protests broke out following the 2020 elections, which were widely denounced as fraudulent. More than 65,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten. In the wake of the protests, hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were shut down and outlawed.

Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Dabravolski was being targeted by "trumped-up charges."

"Dabravolski's only 'crime' was doing his job and covering the 2020 protests after the stolen elections," she said. "We see that the conveyor belt of repression inside Belarus continues unabated."

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Activists have reported a sharp increase in government pressure on Belarus' media workers.

"Repression is escalating and Dabravolski's sentence shows that the authorities are increasing pressure on journalists in a country that already has the worst freedom of speech in Europe," Andrei Bastunets, the head of the journalists' association, told The Associated Press.

The group says that 28 journalists are imprisoned in Belarus.

"It contradicts the idea that the human rights situation in Belarus has allegedly improved due to the release of prominent political prisoners," Bastunets said.

Under Lukashenko, Belarus has faced years of Western isolation and sanctions for repression and for allowing Moscow to use its territory during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has recently sought to improve relations with the West by releasing hundreds of political prisoners.

Many more remain behind bars, however, with human rights organization Viasna estimating that there are 1,140 political prisoners.

After just over two years on the job,Ohio State University President Ted Carterhas resigned from the university after he disclosed an inappropriate relationship to the board of trustees.

Carter, 66, resigned over the weekend after a rare three-hour executive session for the board on March 7.

Carter told trustees in advance of that meeting that he had an inappropriate relationship with "someone seeking public resources to support her personal business," according to a university statement. He offered to resign and the board accepted.

"The Board was surprised and disappointed to learn of this matter and takes the situation and its potential impact on the university very seriously," Ohio State Board of Trustees Chair John Zeiger said in a letter accepting Carter's resignation. "We respect your decision and appreciate your cooperation in supporting an orderly leadership transition."

The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, asked the university to clarify the nature of the relationship that led to Carter's resignation. It did not share additional information.

Trustees have consistently praised Carter during his short tenure for providing steady leadership and being an ambassador for the university's land-grant mission and vision. In August,trustees approved a 4.5% merit raise, totaling $51,233,bringing Carter's new base salary to $1,189,733, as well as a $398,475 bonus, about 35% of his base pay.

In a statement sent to the campus community March 9, Carter said he "made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership."

"I believe we have made much progress during my time at Ohio State, and I'm sorry I'm not able to remain your president longer," Carter said. "The students, faculty and staff at this university are among the very best in the world, and the Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan has Ohio State poised to succeed for years to come."

Carter said he and his wife, Lynda, are leaving Ohio State with "gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful community."

"It has been an honor to serve as this university's 17th president, and we wish the university ongoing success," he said.

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Carter officially began his two-year tenure at Ohio State in January 2024.He succeeded former OSU President Kristina Johnson, who stepped down following two years at the helm in May 2023 in a sudden resignation that revealedconsternation with the board of trustees.

His initial contract was set to run through Dec. 31, 2028.

Before coming to Ohio State, Carter served as president of the University Nebraska system. The bulk of Carter's career was spent in the United States Navy.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and the Navy Fighter Weapons School − also known as Top Gun − and studied at the Navy Nuclear Power School, the U.S. Air Force Air War College, the Naval War College and the Armed Forces Staff College. He led the Naval Academy as its longest continuously serving superintendent since the Civil War.

Carter spent much of his first year at Ohio State on a "listening and learning" tour, speaking with hundreds of students, staff, faculty and other university stakeholders to craft his 10-year strategic plan. That plan − Education for Citizenship 2035 − was introduced in November 2024 and officially launched in July 2025.

His plan included rolling out multiple new scholarships, investments in six specific colleges,an AI Fluency initiativeand a $100 million initiative to attract top faculty to Ohio State.

Ohio State did not immediately announce who would step in as interim president. Zeiger said in a statement to the campus community that the board will share a transition plan later this week. In his statement, Zeiger called on all Buckeyes to help the university succeed during the transition and into the future.

"Our collective dedication to advancing Ohio State's standing as one of the nation's premier public universities is unchanged. The current strength and momentum of Ohio State and its collective leadership team make us highly confident that our momentum will continue to be strong. You play a critical role in that mission, and we will share additional information about the transition in the coming days."

Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:Ohio State President Ted Carter resigns over inappropriate relationship

Get ready for another boring run to the men's Final Four.

What makesMarch Madnesssuch a spectacle is the unpredictability. Each game can throw away everything we know about the season, allowing Cinderellas to shine and Goliaths to falter. Thatdidn't happen much last yearen route toall four No. 1 seeds making the Final Fourfor just the second time in history.

This season, there is no doubt of who has separated themselves from the rest of the field.Duke,Arizonaand Michigan are in a class of their own. They awaited who would join them as the fourth member, and it was answered in the regular-season finale withFlorida.

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All No. 1 seed dominance? Guess what? It's going to happen again in 2026.

It sounds crazy to declare whowillbe in the Final Four before the bracket and matchups are revealed, but it's not hard to understand why itwillbe Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida.

Duke, Michigan and Arizona have been the most consistent. It felt like they could have gone undefeated, and they each finished the regular season 29-2. Florida didn't have an amazing start, but finished on a 16-1 stretch as it obliterated the SEC to end 25-6 overall.

It's one thing to win a lot, but it's another to do it against quality teams. Look at each of their Quad 1 records, as they are conveniently the top four teams in the NET rankings:

• Duke: 15-2

• Michigan: 14-2

• Arizona: 15-2

• Florida: 11-5

These are the only teams win double-digit Quad 1 wins.

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Still need more proof? Look at how they're winning these games. These four make up the top eight teams in the country in average scoring margin; Duke wins by 20 points (1st), Michigan by 19 (5th), Arizona by 18 (6th) and Florida by 16 (T-7th). The Blue Devils and Gators made a joke of the ACC and SEC, theWolverineshandled the loaded Big Ten and the Wildcats made the Big 12 gauntlet look like a stroll in the park. It's a type of consistency we saw exactly a year ago with Florida, Houston, Duke and Auburn.

That's why the 2026 tournament is theirs to lose. All it takes is an off night to end a season in 40 minutes. However, these teams haven't had many of those, any everyone else can't say the same.

There are plenty of other teams that have Final Four capabilities, like Connecticut, Iowa State, Houston and Michigan State. The issue though is these teams have shown they can't be trusted. They've each had their own problems, whether it's losing to teams it shouldn't, or going on extended cold streaks.

Oh, and they've all had a chance to play against the Final Four shoe-ins. Only the Huskies were able to beat Florida, all the way back in December when it was much different Gators team.

This isn't saying the tournament won't be eventful. There is bound to be the double-digit seed first round upset or surprise run to the second weekend. Just don't expect it to be at the expense of the No. 1 seeds. Their games may be snoozers.

While it may take out the thrill of it, save the popcorn for when those four teams meet in Indianapolis, because it will be captivating, must-see TV. We already got a preview when Michigan and Duke met in late February, a thriller in the nation's capital. Imagine that happening again with the national championship on the line?

After happening only once in 45 tournaments, does having an all-No. 1 seed Final Four in back-to-back years show parity is dying in a tournament built on it? Not really, it's just the teams that are really good, are in fact,reallygood.

It's almost become comical how superior each of the projected No. 1 seeds have been. So much so the conference tournaments won't have an effect on their March Madness outlook.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is for the taking of the Blue Devils, Wildcats, Wolverines and Gators. The other 64 teams are going to need the night of their lives — and then some — to alter the path.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:2026 March Madness can expect four No. 1 seeds in Final Four again

It's Spring Break season, and many parents are packing snacks to keep kids happy while traveling, but they still have to make it through airport security.

Scripps News food and wellness contributor Jessica DeLuise, PA-C, shares a healthy, kid-approved snack that fits in a small container and is easy to bring through the airport.

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Crispy buffalo chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 tbsp avocado oil

• 1-2 tbsp hot sauce (depending on preferred spice level)

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

• ½ - ¼ tsp chili powder (depending on preferred spice level)

• ¼ tsp salt

• ⅛ tsp onion powder

• ⅛ tsp cumin

• ⅛ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 400 F.

• Drain and rinse chickpeas
  TIP- reserve aquafaba for another recipe

• Pat dry on a clean, lint free towel

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the oil, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, and spices.

• Add the chickpeas to the bowl.

• Toss the chickpeas until they are coated on all sides.

• Lay them out on a sheet pan / air fryer basket in an even layer with space between them.

• Bake in 10- 12 minute increments until desired crispiness is achieved.

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.