How Trump’s foreign policy will impact women and girls

… plus curiosities from South Korean MAGA inspo, Sudan, and more.

Welcome back to another edition of The Detour — an independent, weekly U.S. and global-affairs newsletter that explores underreported regions and uncovers the ripple effects of major news events. Here’s what’s on deck this week:

🗳️ Women’s rights experts weigh in on a second Trump term

🔒 Indonesian influencers, MAGA country reaches South Korea, and a historic declaration of genocide in Sudan

☀️ That feeling of being warmed by the sun in the dead of winter

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Wildfires rage in SoCal, migrants blocked in Italy, MAGA rhymes in South Korea, and self-mode gets political in Indonesia. // Source: Wikimedia Commons, CalFire, Canva Graphics

20 — The number of social media influencers that were elected to the Indonesian parliament in the national election in February 2024. It’s all part of a growing trend among social media savvy nations, where content featuring influencers and celebrities is garnering more trust among internet users than that shared by political institutions.

“Indonesia, with a population of about 280 million people, is the region’s biggest market for platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Officials have taken note, increasingly tapping influencers to join political parties, endorse candidates, and run for office,” reporter Michelle Anindya writes in Rest of World.

Here’s the rub: Anyone in Indonesia, of course, has the right to run for office and gain traction on digital platforms to further their political brand, but experts like digital media researcher Ross Tapsell warn that the kind of influencers that gain the most effective traction on social media platforms “are usually the ones that spread disinformation.”

2,900+ acres — The amount of land that the Palisades Fire has burned in West Los Angeles* in what is currently the largest of four ongoing fires in the area. As of Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at least 30,000 people had been evacuated, although the number keeps climbing by the hour. All four fires are currently at zero percent containment.

*Correction, January 9, 2025: In an earlier version of this issue of The Detour, I incorrectly stated the acreage burned by the Palisades Fire as of Tuesday afternoon was equivalent to over twice the size of Manhattan. At the time, the acreage burned by Tuesday afternoon was 2,900+ acres, which is close to one fifth the size of Manhattan.

However, a 4:39 AM Thursday, January 9, 2025, update from CalFire reveals that 17,234 acres have now been burned by the Palisades Fire, which is greater than the size of Manhattan.