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President aims to highlight ‘comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime’ after deaths of two NYPD officers• Battered Biden gets chance to change political narrative as Breyer retiresSign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by emailOnce Stephen Breyer confirms his retirement, Joe Biden is expected to move quickly to name his replacement to the supreme court, although Breyer is likely to stay on the bench through the end of the term.The Washington Post reports: Biden, whose White House has been long prepared for a potential Supreme Court vacancy, plans to name a replacement in a shorter time frame than the month it took then-President Barack Obama to name Merrick Garland in 2016, according to the person, who requested anonymity to discuss strategy.That would allow for a confirmation fight to play out in the Senate well before the final Supreme Court decisions come down in June and Breyer formally retires. [Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer] has pledged to move as fast as Republicans did to confirm Amy Coney Barrett in late 2020, a process that took just about a month, although the GOP has more power in a 50-50 Senate to slow down committee consideration, such as by denying a quorum. Continue reading...