From Washington, DC,

• On July 4, the President signed into law H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation act. The law’s one FEHB provision creating the FEHB Protection Act of 2025 begins on page 766 of the new law.

• The House of Representatives and the Senate will be in session on Capitol Hill this week for Committee business and floor voting.

• The Senate Executive Calendar for July 7, 2025, includes a Unanimous Consent Agreement that reads as follows:
  • Ordered, That at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, notwithstanding Rule XXII, the cloture motions filed on the following nominations ripen:
  • Preston Griffith, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Energy;
  • Bryan Bedford, of Indiana, to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for the term of five years;
  • Scott Kupor, of California, to be Director of the Office of Personnel Management for a term of four years; and
  • William Briggs, of Texas, to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration. (July 1, 3, 2025.).
• Odds are that Mr. Kupor will be sworn in as OPM Director later this week.

From the judicial front,

• Bloomberg Law reports,
  • “Among the federal appeals courts, the Fourth Circuit was the biggest loser at the US Supreme Court this term.
  • “The Richmond, Virginia-based court had the second-highest number of its rulings reviewed by the justices and they reversed everyone.
  • “The data suggests attorneys have been testing the waters to see if the liberal-leaning court could counterbalance the conservative Fifth Circuit on the right as a preferred venue for progressive causes. A 100% reversal rate at the Supreme Court, however, may make litigants rethink that strategy in certain cases.”

From the public health and medical research front,

• The Hill reported on July 3,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upgraded a blueberry recall this week to the highest risk level amid concerns of contamination. 
  • “The FDA raised the recall of 400 boxes that weigh 30 pounds to Class I.
  • “The blueberry recall, which took place June 9, was initiated after Alma Pak International LLC of Alma, Ga. received a positive result of listeria monocytogenes during routine testing, according to the FDA. 
  • “FDA’s Class I classification is a “situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” 
  • “The firm shipped the blueberries to one customer in North Carolina. The number of the recall is H-0204-2025.” 

• The Wall Street Journal informs us,
  • “Ticks! They’re summer’s most unwelcome guests and are lurking everywhere: on golf courses and hiking trails, in backyard gardens and even in city parks. 
  • “And this year appears to be especially bad: Emergency-department visits for tick bites are the highest since 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tick-bite data tracker.
  • “The tick index run by Fordham University’s Louis Calder Center is currently at nine out of 10. “If you’re thinking of taking a hike, consider going to a movie instead,” the website says.” * * *
  • Use a tick key—it’s a small, cheap tool you can buy in lots of places—or fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. (In a pinch you could use a credit card.) Pull with a steady, even pressure and try not to twist or jerk the tick. You need to remove the whole tick, not just break off part of it. Also, don’t try to use a match or solvent.
  • If you find one tick, make sure to do a thorough tick check on the rest of your body. Look behind your knees, under your arms, behind your ears and around your crotch.

• Medscape discusses “Intermittent Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes: When to Recommend and When to Avoid This Eating Plan.”