After an embarrassing three weeks of nominees and almost-elections, the House of Representatives finally chose a new speaker — Republican Rep. Mike Johnson, who tried to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election. Now, can Congress get to work on government funding and pressing national crises? In an Oval Office address to the nation, President Biden announced a request to Congress for $106 billion to boost national security. The package would include military aid for Israel, increased arms production for Ukraine, funds for Taiwan, and more security along the U.S.-Mexico border. It was part of the outline for renewing America’s role in protecting democracy at home and abroad. But is that plan outdated for a changing world? The press serves as a pillar of democracy, and that role is under scrutiny after conflicting reports from the Israel-Hamas conflict, including a deadly hospital blast. And at a local level, massive declines in media have contributed to our political polarization. How can the public’s trust — and local journalism — be rebuilt?