Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and we’re “like” so into reading about Californians’ accents. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Student inboxes were hit with a shocking announcement late last night: Rick Caruso, the billionaire real estate mogul and influential USC trustee, would serve as the school’s next president. Turns out it was actually an elaborate April Fools’ prank — and we got ahold of the guys who did it. Read how two dudes email-pranked 52,000 USC students at the link below.

Tomo Chien / Morning, Trojan

2.

Students are frustrated about USC’s removal of DEI from its list of stated values. One student said it’s a “shame” the university caved to the Trump administration’s targeting of diversity programs in higher education. “I wish they could have put up a little more fight,” said sophomore Jackson Sinatra.

Miranda Huang and Sebastian Soto / Annenberg Media

3.

On the topic of USC’s next (actual) leader, the university said it’s looking to crowdsource opinions for its ongoing presidential search. Students, faculty, and staff will soon receive a link to an email survey, while alumni and the broader university community will be surveyed later in the process.

Nicholas Corral / Daily Trojan

4.

USC women’s basketball’s March Madness run ended Monday evening. Without standout JuJu Watkins due to an ACL tear, the Trojans did their best to contend with UConn and Paige Bueckers, the likely No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. But their effort fell short as the Huskies sent USC home for the second straight season.

Henry Mode / Daily Trojan

5.

March Madness, who? USC now has April Arboriculture. A new poll is seeking community input on what kinds of trees USC should plant more of, and an Annenberg Media interactive lets you create your own March Madness-esque bracket. A quick poll showed one hardwood is already out to an early lead: “It’s got to be the oak,” one student proclaimed.

Ryan Kassebaum / Annenberg Media