Here’s one effort to do better: President Biden’s inaugural speech included calls for unity. What that would look actually like after the Jan. 6 siege is uncertain, but interviews with eight senators offer insight into what Mr. Biden’s message could mean in practice – and whether there’s the will to do it. 

Experience counts. President Biden’s nomination of Iran nuclear deal negotiator Wendy Sherman to be the No. 2 at State is another sign he wants a team that can hit the ground running on Iran.

What is it like to come of age during a pandemic? Our reporters spent three months following 12 21-year-olds navigating adulthood in a world in crisis. Tomorrow you will get to hear from them directly in our special report, “21 in ’21.” Today, we interview Ryan Lenora Brown, the lead reporter, about her inspiration for the project.

Remember Wakanda, the fictional city in “Black Panther” that revamped images of Africa? A Senegalese American singer wants to bring it to life in a coastal town in Senegal with a futuristic smart city. But what about the people who are already there? 

When caste systems prevail, what options do people have for escaping them? Movie critic Peter Rainer writes that “The White Tiger,” based on a Booker Prize-winning book, “explores with devastating effect how such a system can distend the souls of both servants and their masters.”

When he was vice president seven years ago, Joe Biden scanned the globe for the most compelling problems to tackle. “Of all the places in crisis in the world, I came to believe that Central America had the best chance,” he later wrote.

He saw the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador – the main source of unauthorized migrants into the United States – as a critical link in his broader vision, namely that the entire Western Hemisphere could be “middle class, secure, and democratic.” He was able to convince Congress to provide nearly $800 million to lift up the so-called Northern Triangle nations.

On Jan. 21, a day after becoming president, Mr. Biden again focused on Central America. This time, he raised his expectations for the three southern neighbors. He asked U.S. lawmakers to commit $4 billion over four years to reform the region’s governance and economies.

Unlike his other presidential initiatives on immigration, this one received the best bipartisan response. Tackling the root causes of Central Americans traveling to the U.S. border – economic hardship, persecution, and violence – has all the appeal of a wise investment. It could also be a starting point for Congress to discuss a comprehensive solution to the difficult issues of immigration.

Mr. Biden plans to focus on two reforms for Central America: improving rule of law to combat corruption and enhancing economic opportunity for the creation of jobs. Both require a better education system. Two-thirds of students in the three countries do not finish high school, one reason so many young people join gangs. To relieve the pressure on Central Americans to migrate, income levels would need to rise to at least $8,000 in terms of gross national product per capita. Currently, they are around $4,000 or less.

Solving the immigration puzzle for the U.S. can begin in its own backyard. The problems in Central America run deep. And foreign aid may be required for years. But the illegal border crossings – especially those by unaccompanied minors – can end if the U.S. reaches far across its border to assist the neediest in its hemispheric neighborhood.