New Releases by The Washington Post

A Washington Post Best Book of 2021 The #1 New York Times bestselling investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public year after year about America’s longest war, foreshadowing the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan, by Washington Post reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Whitlock. Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives. Distracted by the war in Iraq, the US military become mired in an unwinnable guerrilla conflict in a country it did not understand. But no president wanted to admit failure, especially in a war that began as a just cause. Instead, the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations sent more and more troops to Afghanistan and repeatedly said they were making progress, even though they knew there was no realistic prospect for an outright victory. Just as the Pentagon Papers changed the public’s understanding of Vietnam, The Afghanistan Papers contains “fast-paced and vivid” (The New York Times Book Review) revelation after revelation from people who played a direct role in the war from leaders in the White House and the Pentagon to soldiers and aid workers on the front lines. In unvarnished language, they admit that the US government’s strategies were a mess, that the nation-building project was a colossal failure, and that drugs and corruption gained a stranglehold over their allies in the Afghan government. All told, the account is based on interviews with more than 1,000 people who knew that the US government was presenting a distorted, and sometimes entirely fabricated, version of the facts on the ground. Documents unearthed by The Washington Post reveal that President Bush didn’t know the name of his Afghanistan war commander—and didn’t want to meet with him. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that he had “no visibility into who the bad guys are.” His successor, Robert Gates, said: “We didn’t know jack shit about al-Qaeda.” The Afghanistan Papers is a “searing indictment of the deceit, blunders, and hubris of senior military and civilian officials” (Tom Bowman, NRP Pentagon Correspondent) that will supercharge a long-overdue reckoning over what went wrong and forever change the way the conflict is remembered.

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER In perilous times, facts, expertise, and truth are indispensable. President Trump’s flagrant disregard for the truth and his self-aggrandizing exaggerations, specious misstatements, and bald-faced lies have been rigorously documented and debunked since the first day of his presidency by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker staff. Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth is based on the only comprehensive compilation and analysis of the more than 16,000 fallacious statements that Trump has uttered since the day of his inauguration. He has repeated many of his most outrageous claims dozens or even hundreds of times as he has sought to bend reality to his political fantasy and personal whim. Drawing on Trump’s tweets, press conferences, political rallies, and TV appearances, The Washington Post identifies his most frequently used misstatements, biggest whoppers, and most dangerous deceptions. This book unpacks his errant statements about the economy, immigration, the impeachment hearings, foreign policy, and, of critical concern now, the coronavirus crisis as it unfolded. Fascinating, startling, and even grimly funny, Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth by The Washington Post is the essential, authoritative record of Trump’s shocking disregard for facts.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Written and designed by the staff of The Washington Post and illustrated by artist Jan Feindt, The Mueller Report Illustrated: The Obstruction Investigation brings to life the findings of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in an engaging and illuminating presentation. When it was released on April 18, 2019, Mueller’s report laid out two major conclusions: that Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election had been “sweeping and systematic” and that the evidence did not establish that Trump or his campaign had conspired with the Kremlin. The special counsel left one significant question unanswered: whether the president broke the law by trying to block the probe. However, Mueller unspooled a dramatic narrative of an angry and anxious president trying to control the criminal investigation, even after he knew he was under scrutiny. Deep inside the 448-page report is a fly-on-the-wall account of the inner workings of the White House, remarkable in detail and drama. With dialogue taken directly from the report, The Mueller Report Illustrated is a vivid, factually rigorous narrative of a crucial period in Trump’s presidency that remains relevant to the turbulent events of today.

The Washington Nationals entered the 2019 season with high hopes but an uncertain identity under second-year manager Dave Martinez. Gone was Bryce Harper. Still around were dominant starting pitchers in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg star third baseman Anthony Rendon talented young outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles – and the specter of past playoff disappointments. A slow start dragged down by bullpen collapses saw the team 12 games below .500 and 10 games out of first place entering Memorial Day weekend. And then began a turnaround for the ages. Behind bedrock pitching from Strasburg and offseason acquisition Patrick Corbin clutching hitting from Howie Kendrick and midseason signing Gerardo Parra the Nationals played the final 112 games of the regular season as well as any team in baseball to capture a wild-card berth. Along the way they discovered the camaraderie and joy that would propel them to a wild-card victory over Milwaukee an upset of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division round a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series and finally a World Series victory over the Houston Astros. In Fight to the Finish relive the Nationals'' run through the images and words of The Washington Post photographers and reporters who followed the team every step of the way.

ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR The Crucial #1 New York Times Bestseller “The Mueller report is that rare Washington tell-all that surpasses its pre-publication hype…the best book by far on the workings of the Trump presidency.” —Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post The only book with exclusive analysis by the Pulitzer Prize–winning staff of The Washington Post, and the most complete and authoritative available. Read the findings of the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, complete with accompanying analysis by the Post reporters who’ve covered the story from the beginning. This edition from The Washington Post/Scribner contains: —The long-awaited Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election —An introduction by The Washington Post titled “A President, a Prosecutor, and the Protection of American Democracy” —A timeline of the major events of the Special Counsel’s investigation from May 2017, when Robert Mueller was appointed, to the report''s delivery —A guide to individuals involved, including in the Special Counsel’s Office, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Trump Campaign, the White House, the Trump legal defense team, and the Russians —Key documents in the Special Counsel’s investigation, including filings pertaining to General Michael T. Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, and the Russian internet operation in St. Petersburg. Each document is introduced and explained by Washington Post reporters. One of the most urgent and important investigations ever conducted, the Mueller inquiry focuses on Donald Trump, his presidential campaign, and Russian interference in the 2016 election, and draws on the testimony of dozens of witnesses and the work of some of the country’s most seasoned prosecutors. The special counsel’s investigation looms as a turning point in American history. The Mueller Report is essential reading for all citizens concerned about the fate of the presidency and the future of our democracy.

The Washington Capitals entered the 2017-18 season still stinging from their latest playoff disappointment months earlier after another dominant regular season. But the team retained its captain, Alex Ovechkin, and its core, including goaltender Braden Holtby and standouts such as Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie. After a solid if uneven regular season, the Capitals entered the postseason without the crushing expectations of years past but also no assurance that this year would be different, especially after losses in their first two playoff games. Then something special happened: Ovechkin led with both his play and emotion, Holtby rekindled his magic in net, rookies complemented veterans and the franchise found itself in unprecedented heights: hoisting the Stanley Cup. Relive the magical run through the images and words of The Washington Post photographers and reporters that followed the team every step of the way.

In this timely retrospective, leading voices from The Washington Post come together to discuss Barack Obama’s historic presidency. When President Obama was elected, he was a figure of hope for many Americans. Throughout his presidency, he has become far more than a symbol of change; he has enacted countless programs and policies that have made an impact on the country. As his term comes to an end, we look back on what has defined Obama as an American leader. Providing insight into everything from his politics to his family, this collection of articles examines the highlights of the Obama administration. The award-winning journalists at The Washington Post have brought together stories from the last eight years to commemorate the indelible mark our most recent president has made on the United States. Featuring over a hundred historic photos and articles from eight Pulitzer Prize winners, Obama’s Legacy is the perfect way to close out the first family’s years in the White House.

An in-depth profile of the digital native generation from the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. For the generation after Millennials, technology has been the only way of life since birth. These children are the first group to have their formative moments chronicled on Facebook, to grow up surrounded by the ubiquity of smartphones, and most important, to navigate a social landscape ruled by the internet. With this lifestyle comes a host of issues that prior generations never dealt with, including cyberbullying, alienation from peers with greater access to technology, and an increasing vulnerability to online sexual predators. This series of articles from the Washington Post delves into the everyday lives of American kids and teenagers. With its exploration of the unique pressures and complications of living an online life (and most of life online), this collection is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of Generation Z.

The Washington Post food critic’s guide to the nation’s top ten culinary capitals—plus restaurant recipes you can make in your own kitchen. Follow Tom Sietsema as he dines, drinks and browses at 271 restaurants, bars, and shops while reporting for his America’s Best Food Cities project. Along the way, he measures how each city stacks up in terms of creativity, community, tradition, ingredients, shopping, variety, and service. Sietsema offers a guidebook to his top recommendations, garnished with short descriptions of the eateries he visited, the best things he ordered in each city, and even some signature recipes from notable restaurants along his path, so that you too can make the best dishes without buying a plane ticket. Along the way he dishes out surprises and tips to satisfy the palate of every culinary adventurer. This is the ultimate guide to eating well in America’s top 10 food cities, whether you’re a resident of one of them or planning a visit. Bon appetit!

In 2015, The Washington Post launched an unprecedented effort to account for every fatal shooting by an officer of the law. Their study has motivated the FBI to action, and changed the way we think of those who serve and protect. After a police officer shot and killed a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the media began to pay greater attention to deadly interactions between black men and the law. But when reporters tried to get to the bottom of some basic questions—how often do police shoot people? Who are the victims? Are officers ever charged with crimes?—they came up blank. Police departments were not required to report these statistics to the FBI. The Washington Post set out to track every fatal shooting by an on-duty officer in 2015. Its database chronicled the shootings in real time, using news reports and other public sources. It compiled a trove of data, from the race of the person killed, whether the person was armed when killed, to whether the person was purported to have threatened the officer prior to being killed. The results found by the Post are shocking and haunting, from the sheer breadth of shootings by police in the U.S. to the stories of those killed. And its call to reform is being heeded. This groundbreaking book will radically alter how you view confrontation and accountability within the ranks, and offer a new perspective going forward.

Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach explores our relationship with technology—frequently beneficial, occasionally adversarial, and rapidly changing in a world growing more connected by the minute. In the second decade of this new millennium, we are more connected than we have ever been, and digital utopians speak of the new wonders ahead—artificial intelligence and augmented intelligence, a merger of humans and machines, and a coming era of transhumanism that we cannot possibly imagine. But there are dissenters. They see the rise of a surveillance state. They see personal data turned into a commodity. They see profits swirling to a few huge corporations. They see basic human interactions impaired by gadgetry. The most apocalyptic thinkers fear that machines will soon escape our control. They believe artificial intelligence will be our most catastrophic invention. These people do not form a coherent movement. But if they share a common message, it''s that technology should serve humans and not the other way around. Joel Achenbach explores his own relationship with the digital revolution, as well as its future, in this eye-opening, intelligent, and entertaining look at how we connect today.

The year 2015 will be remembered as one of the most bizarrely compelling and genuinely unnerving in the nation’s modern political history. One contender entered the race as the scion to a political dynasty. Another entered as a reality television star. There were the religious factions, the Tea Partiers, even a moderate or two. The Republican primary quickly bloated to seventeen candidates. But where the establishment had chosen a few frontrunners behind which it would select the eventual nominee, the public and the press had other ideas. Donald Trump went from punchline to poll-leader, even as other candidates dismissed him and millions condemned his incendiary rhetoric. Now, as the primary season heats up and people start casting their votes, the field and the country wait to see whether Trump’s populist appeal will translate to the nomination, and how the Republican party will adapt to its strange new reality. The Washington Post brings to readers the wild story of how Republicans got to where they are today, told primarily through the impressions, recollections, and analyses of those who lived it personally — the Republican candidates. This eBook is based almost entirely on on-the-record interviews with most of the major candidates — some of whom fell away — and with their advisers and other strategists. It is the story of a remarkable year in American politics.

Heroes and icons. Athletes and entertainers. Trailblazers and game-changers. The world lost many brilliant women and men in 2015, but legacies live on. The Washington Post beautifully and comprehensively encapsulates some of the luminaries the world lost in 2015. Brilliant and beloved, fiery and controversial, these twenty-one lives live on through sheer influence. From legends like B.B. King, whose guitar-playing inspired musicians across all genres, to Julian Bond, whose tireless work on behalf of Civil Rights resonates to this day. From wildly exciting lives, like Elizabeth McIntosh, the spy who helped defeat the Axis, to more contemplative lives, like that of Oliver Sacks, who revolutionized the way we look at the human brain, the recounting of these twenty-one lives showcase the impact a human being can have on the world.

When tough-on-crime laws passed 30 years ago during an era of drug-fueled violence, they were supported across the political spectrum. The subsequent “war on drugs” sent non-violent offenders to prison for decades and, in some cases, life. As a result, the nation’s prison and jail population today is 2.3 million, more than quadruple the number that were incarcerated in 1980. One in 100 adults is behind bars in America. As many as 100 million American adults now have criminal records, and a disproportionate number of those are men of color. Washington Post reporters, in a series of revealing and wrenching stories throughout 2015, unlocked the prison gates and allowed readers to experience the human devastation wrought by sentencing policies now under scrutiny.

Saving the world won''t happen on the silver screen. In our fragile ecosystem, climate change is swiftly becoming the defining issue of how to prepare—and protect—the earth for the future. The climate change debate raged on in America in 2015, but the facts and the science now show irrefutably that our world is rapidly changing, and that irreparable damage has already begun. From rising sea levels to the spread of disease-carrying insects, from disappearing glaciers to the hottest temperatures ever recorded, climate change as a direct result of human beings’ actions affects everyone, and for many it is a matter of life or death. But progress is being made—with an historic United Nations meeting in Paris, with pledges by over one hundred countries to reduce emissions, with simple awareness. While many changes cannot be undone, great strides can still be made to stabilize regions most likely to be affected by climate change over the course of future generations. The Washington Post tackles this issue in vivid detail, profiling those who are at the forefront of the climate change debate—and those who are in the field, promoting the causes and doing the science that both warns and advocates for a safer tomorrow, for the earth and all its inhabitants.

A collection of articles on how ISIS took over a region the size of the UK, sparked a humanitarian crisis, and developed into a global threat. With coordinated attacks in Paris and the downing of a Russian passenger plane, the Islamic State (ISIS) declared war on the wider world, galvanizing new calls for an intensified global response. The Washington Post spent a year tracking the political and military spread of ISIS—investigating its roots and chronicling what life is really like for the people under its rule. Kevin Sullivan, a senior correspondent for the paper, conducted a series of interviews, often in secret, with people who have fled the “Caliphate.” Other correspondents, including Souad Mekhennet and Loveday Morris, spoke with those still inside. What they discovered is that, while world leaders watched, the Islamic State instituted a brutal, tiered society, in which the faithful are given control, in which women are in constant danger, and wherein dissent is met with swift and deadly retribution. This is the inside story of how ISIS combined the bloodiest aspects of religion, terrorism and statehood and became a global threat.

The Internet can appear to be elegantly designed, but as The Washington Post’s Craig Timberg demonstrated in his illuminating series “Net of Insecurity,” the network is much more an assemblage of kludges—more Frankenstein than Ferrari—that endure because they work, or at least work well enough. The defects hackers use often are well-known and ancient in technological terms, surviving only because of an industry-wide penchant for patching over problems rather than replacing the rot – and because Washington largely shrugged. At critical moments in the development of the Internet, some of the country’s smartest minds warned leaders at the Pentagon and in Congress, but were largely ignored. The consequences now play out across cyberspace every second of every day, as hackers exploit old, poorly protected systems to scam, steal, and spy on a scale never before possible. Today, hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on computer security and the danger posed by hackers seems to grow worse each year, threatening banks, retailers, government agencies, a Hollywood studio and, experts worry, critical mechanical systems in dams, power plants, and aircraft. Many have tried to write about the origins of the Internet. But never before has a writer so thoroughly elucidated the history of the security of the Internet—and why basic flaws in its design continue to leave this country wide open to digital threats.

The aftermath was almost as devastating as the storm itself. In the ten years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, New Orleans has changed drastically, and The Washington Post returns to the region to take the full measure of the city’s long, troubled, inspiring, unfinished comeback. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, it wrenched more than a million people from their homes and forever altered New Orleans—one of the country’s cultural capitals. It reordered the city’s economy and population in ways that are still being felt today. What changed? And what was lost in the intervening decade? Dozens of Washington Post writers and photographers descended on New Orleans when Katrina hit, and many of those same journalists went back for the anniversary. What they found was a thriving city, buttressed by a new $14.5 billion complex of sea walls, levees, pump stations and outfall canals. What they heard was that, while some mourn the loss of the New Orleans’ soul and authenticity, others—who saw a desperate need for improvement even before the storm—welcome the rebuilding of New Orleans into America’s latest tech hub. This insightful, elegiac eBook, then, is both a backward and forward look at New Orleans’ comeback, full of the voices of those who were pushed by Katrina’s winds in directions they never imagined. “The city, on balance, is far better off than before Katrina,” says Jason Berry, a prolific New Orleans author. “But it’s still a break-your-heart kind of town.”

From the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post comes a meticulously detailed, insightful report on the killing that brought the nation''s attention to a city coming apart at the seams. 12:00PM: Officer Darren Wilson turns his Chevy Tahoe police cruiser left on Canfield Drive. 12:01PM: Wilson orders two young men, Dorian Johnson and Michael Brown, to get out of the street. 12:04PM: Michael Brown lays dying from bullet wounds. Three minutes in middle America shook a nation to its foundation. To many, it shone a spotlight on the frequently violent, often deadly interactions between young men of color and police departments. It highlighted the racial disparity in policing techniques, in response to crime, and in how race relations are perceived in an America where many incorrectly pride the country on being "post-racial." Renowned journalist Wesley Lowery has pulled together a vast and troubling panorama of reportage on the Ferguson slaying, and the aftermath--the marches, the clashes, and the slow, painful process of building trust between a devastated community and a police department tasked with serving and protecting it. Challenging and necessary, Ferguson engages America in a frank and necessary dialogue about race relations, about legacies of bigotry that continue to this day, and about a path forward as one nation, equal under the law. Contributors include: Joel Achenbach, Mark Berman, Lindsey Bever, Jeremy Borden, Amy Brittain, DeNeen L. Brown, Philip Bump, Jessica Contrera, Jahi Chikwendiu, Niraj Chokshi, Robert Costa, Alice Crites, David A. Fahrenthold, Darryl Fears, Marc Fisher, J. Freedom du Lac, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Chico Harlan, Dana Hedgpeth, Peter Hermann, Scott Higham, Peter Holley, Sari Horwitz, Greg Jaffe, Sarah Kaplan, Kimbriell Kelly, Kimberly Kindy, Sarah Larimer, Carol D. Leonnig, Jerry Markon, Michael E. Miller, David Montgomery, Brian Murphy, David Nakamura, Abby Phillip, Steven Rich, Manuel Roig-Franzia, Robert Samuels, Sandhya Somashekhar, John Sullivan, Julie Tate, Krissah Thompson, Neely Tucker.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Some see former Texas governor Rick Perry as one of the most instinctive retail politicians in the 2016 GOP field. Others see a glib pitchman who must overcome the perception that he’s all flash and little substance. Four years after his famous ‘oops’ incident, can he persuade voters that he’s the real deal? In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s big personality and bold political instincts have put him on the national radar. His willingness to speak from the gut has enabled him to connect directly with voters on both sides of the aisle better than any of the other candidates. But that same bluntness sometimes jeopardizes the very agenda he wants to accomplish. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Rand Paul’s ability to sell himself as the most libertarian of the presidential candidates—defending civil liberties at home and opposing military adventurism and nation-building abroad—is what can set him apart. But those unconventional ideas could also box him in. Libertarians don’t win national elections, unless you count Thomas Jefferson in 1800 and 1804. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton’s won’t-back-down resolve is the quality that could make her America’s first female president if it doesn’t sabotage her first. She may have gotten her first campaign for the Democratic nomination wrong, but now she is doggedly determined to get it right. But that past campaign and her controversial years as first lady, while leaving her with more experience with the nuts and bolts of being president, have also left a trail of ethical questions that provide her challengers ample ammunition on the trail. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is a man in a hurry, whose dizzying political ascent—he has never lost a race—is a testament to his quickness to spot openings and go for them. The question now, as he aims for the White House, is whether voters ultimately see Rubio as refreshing and bold, the inspiring face of a new generation—or just a promising young pol getting ahead of himself. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. It’s Ted Cruz’s ramrod devotion to principle—or, its flip side, an unyielding insistence on getting his way—that could propel him to the front ranks of Republican contenders for president or render him unelectable. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Jeb Bush’s DNA string might as well be tied around his neck. It’s a twisting, double-edged lariat, this family inheritance, at once his greatest advantage and disadvantage. On the one hand, it makes him an immediate force in the crowded GOP presidential field. On the other hand, it saddles him with a problem of self-definition; people think they already know him, which means they see him as more of the same of something they already got. Twice. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. It was as a lifelong broadcaster that Mike Huckabee, the onetime “pastor on TV,” perfected the conservative amiability that helped him win the Iowa caucuses in 2008 and could again set him apart from an increasingly crowded field of Republicans. But in the GOP of 2016, when the sharp edge plays better than the soft smile, Huckabee enters the race facing a key question: Will the same “I’m not mad at anybody” on-air vibe that fueled his rise make him a non-starter for mad-as-hell early Republican voters? In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s immovability, his polite but firm determination to stay the course, both intrigues and frustrates Wisconsin voters. They acknowledge that Walker’s uncompromising stance helped him implement his policies in Wisconsin and win a standoff with unions over collective bargaining that gained him a national reputation. But they say the governor’s victories have come at a steep price: the polarization of a state with a long history of progressive politics and bipartisan civil governance. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.

The Secret Service has one of the most important jobs in the United States. In this Pulitzer Prize winning investigation, Carol Leonnig’s exposes the dereliction of duty that has put the President—and the nation—at risk. In September of 2014, a man leapt the White House fence, ran across the lawn, and got into the mansion, where he was only later tackled by an off-duty agent who happened by. In 2011, the Secret Service mishandled the aftermath when a shooter took aim at the White House itself, sewing confusion within the division and amongst the First Family. The mission of the Secret Service is to keep our leaders safe. In this respect, the Secret Service has had a string of failures bordering on near-catastrophe. Carol Leonnig got beyond the stonewalling of the Secret Service, notoriously tight-lipped about its procedures, and its shortcomings, to write a meticulously researched, utterly devastating expose into one of the most vital police forces in America. She has chronicled security lapses, mishandled resources, failures from the leadership on down, and reported on the men and women who protect the President. This Pulitzer Prize winning work offers an unprecedented window into the flaws of an agency that once seemed picture-perfect. Many agents and officers spoke to Leonnig at the risk of their livelihoods. The impact of her groundbreaking work cannot be underestimated: the President, present and future, will be safer.