What we know about the Biden documents

Plus: a new House rules package and the Proud Boys trial [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( Jan. 14, 2023 This week, we looked at the new special counsel and a new House rules package. Plus: the Proud Boys trial -- and postcards. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Another special counsel Adam Schultz/AP President Biden is facing a Department of Justice investigation after his [lawyers found classified documents]( at his Delaware residence and an office in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former [Justice Department official Robert Hur]( as special counsel to lead the probe. That announcement comes [three days after news broke]( that classified documents had been found at [Biden's private office]( in November less than a week before the midterm elections – a discovery that led the DOJ to launch an initial inquiry. In response to Garland's announcement Thursday, the White House said it has "cooperated closely" with the DOJ during its review and plans to continue working with Hur's special counsel investigation, according to a statement from Richard Sauber, a lawyer for the president. "We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake," according to the statement. Though there are parallels with the classified documents saga involving former President Trump, the two situations are not identical. [Here's what we know about the Biden documents so far](. -- NPR reporters [Becky Sullivan]( and [Elena Moore]( [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images New House rules package: The House passed [a new rules package that contains key concessions to the most conservative wing]( of the Republican Party. It also creates a "Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government” and allows just one member to force a vote on ousting the speaker. Proud Boys trial: A federal prosecutor told jurors in the seditious conspiracy case against members of the far-right Proud Boys group that they mobilized "and took aim at the heart of our democracy" on Jan. 6, 2021 during the Capitol insurrection. [Read more from the opening days of the trial.]( Rejected ballots: Mail ballot rejection rates in the U.S. have hovered around 1% for the past few elections — including 2016, 2018 and 2020. [The rate of mail ballot rejections stayed fairly consistent in 2022,]( despite significant changes to state laws since 2020. Jill Biden surgery: First Lady Jill Biden had [three skin lesions removed]( on Wednesday, two of which were found to be cancerous, her doctor announced. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed, and the margins were clear of any residual skin cancer cells," he said. EQUAL bill: A bill that would have erased long-standing racial disparities in federal cocaine crimes [failed to clear the Senate before the new Congress began.]( With Republicans now in control of the House, it's unclear when it might pass. — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer The Shot: A legacy in postcards Evelyn Freja Donald Brown, 92, has spent most of his life collecting hundreds of thousands of postcards -- a passion that ignited when he was 11 and discovered a box full of them that his grandmother had kept. "I just couldn't stop," he says. "I wanted to go to every five-and-dime store and buy postcards." Now, postcards occupy most every room in his Myerstown, Pa., home. They're organized by location and topic and fill shelves, boxes, posters and drawers. [You can see photos of Brown's vast collection taken by freelance photographer Evelyn Freja](. Freja writes Brown is determined to make sure his collection leaves a mark on the world. He founded a nonprofit research center in the early '90s dedicated to the study and preservation of postcards and North American history, and that he has donated pieces from both the group's collection as well as his own to the University of Maryland, which runs the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library. "They're something you can hold in your hand," he says. "It becomes a treasure -- a personal memento that reflects certain qualities of our current society." — [Heidi Glenn]( NPR digital editor --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]