Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about local brands selling merch to raise funds for fire victims. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Conservatism is cool again — kind of. Republican clubs at colleges across the U.S. are seeing a spike in enrollment driven largely by outspoken young men. “Trump’s victory is a legitimization,” said one University of Massachusetts senior. “You don’t have to hide politically anymore.”

Douglas Belkin / The Wall Street Journal

2.

A new fire erupted north of Castaic yesterday, already tearing through more than 10,000 acres. The Hughes Fire hasn’t destroyed any structures, but forced officials to issue some 31,000 evacuation orders and briefly close the I5. Closer to home, the smaller Sepulveda fire broke out a mile north of the Getty Center.

Tony Kurzweil / KTLA

3.

LA’s iconic palm trees are highly flammable, and likely helped spread this month’s devastating fires. That has renewed questions about whether the water-guzzling, non-native plants ought to occupy as much of LA as they do. “We don’t have to be draconian about this, but we have to be thoughtful,” a UCLA researcher said.

The Editorial Board / Los Angeles Times

4.

California’s attorney general filed criminal charges against a La Cañada real estate agent accused of violating the state’s ban on post-wildfire price gouging. The agent insisted the charges are bogus. “It's all wrong,” he said. “I should be rewarded. ... It's completely opposite, what they are claiming.”

David Wagner / LAist

5.

A team of USC researchers may have cracked a long-standing scientific mystery: Only mammals have outer ears — but where did they evolve from? The scientists used a genetic analysis to show the intricate cartilage structures likely developed from fish gills.

Cristy Lytal / Keck School of Medicine