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By Heather Caygle | 08/19/2016 08:02 AM EDT


FLORIDA REPUBLICANS PRESSURE RYAN ON ZIKA- Since lawmakers left town in July without an agreement on Zika funding--and keep pointing fingers at each other for who's to blame--the crisis has only worsened (See the latest reports Thursday of a handful of Miami Beach Zika cases thought to have originated from local mosquitos). "Now some rank-and-file Florida Republicans - who represent scared constituents clamoring for Washington to do something - are pressuring their leaders to get a deal done, no matter what it takes," reports Rachael Bade this morning.

"The speaker's office has tried to redirect the blame, pointing a finger at Senate Democrats who blocked a House-passed $1.1 billion rescue package because they said it wasn't enough money and included partisan riders. ... But with fears that their state is headed for a public health disaster rising, some Florida Republicans say blaming others is not helping them now. And the lack of a long-term plan is bound to hurt them on the campaign trail - if it hasn't already."

"I don't care how it gets passed, it just needs to get passed," Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo, one of the GOP's most vulnerable incumbents, told Rachael in a phone interview this week.

How it's playing down South: "In Florida, the new front-line of Zika, it's not that simple. House Republicans are finding that just blaming Democrats isn't working, and they're getting heat for Congress' lack of a long-term plan. 'The GOP are taking the majority of the blame,' said one senior staffer to a Florida Republican." Rachael with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aa92e8c8ebf97883fb2ff65dbd42cb7688dcb285217306b94b

INDIANA'S BAYH DEFENDS RESIDENCY STATUS- "Evan Bayh on Thursday brushed off the increasing scrutiny over his Indiana residency, arguing that his multiple homes here and in Washington won't ultimately be a "compelling issue" for voters this November," reports Seung Min Kim from Indianapolis.

Just where does he live? "Bayh owns two homes in Washington: one in the Spring Valley neighborhood, assessed at $2.4 million, and another in Georgetown that he purchased last year for $2.9 million, according to property records. The former senator and Indiana governor also owns a condo in Key Biscayne, Florida. His home in Indianapolis is a one-bedroom condo that is assessed at $59,000."

Bayh then goes on to point to former Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar as an example of someone who has done the same thing. (Editorial note: Remember Lugar's shocking defeat in the 2012 primary after he was dogged by claims that he didn't actually live in Indiana?) Bayh again: "Dick Lugar, when he was in the Senate, Dan Coats right now in the Senate, have all had to juggle representing Indiana while also having a presence in Washington, D.C. There's no difference," he told Seung Min. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aade6895469eb4eb44e6aad6350ef75b95ad9934ff971c44d8

BAYH LISTED AS INACTIVE VOTER- "Election officials in Indiana have concluded that former Sen. Evan Bayh is an 'inactive' voter in their state after they failed to confirm he lives in Indianapolis, creating a new problem for the Democrat as he mounts a late effort to win back his old Senate seat. According to records obtained by CNN, Bayh has been listed as an inactive voter twice since leaving office -- once in July 2014 and the second time last week," scoops CNN's Manu Raju.

"Bayh is still a registered voter, and being listed as inactive does not prevent the former two-term senator and governor from voting in the state. But being considered inactive is the first step from being removed altogether from the voter rolls." Manu with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aa86ee28b888fb7306796c6859cbf89b245abaa696096da9c2

Tweet du jour: Jim Shella (@shellawish): CNN reports that Evan Bayh is listed as an "inactive" voter in Indiana. He voted here in the May primary. I witnessed it. Is that inactive?

MURPHY PULLS ADS IN FLORIDA-Rep. Patrick Murphy is feeling so good about his chances against Rep. Alan Grayson in Florida's Democratic Senate primary Aug. 30, he's put the kibosh on TV ads between now and then. Marc Caputo: "By going dark through the primary on Aug. 30, the Murphy campaign will save about $800,000 that it knows it'll need to take on the well-financed incumbent, Sen. Marco Rubio, whose team and supporters are prepared to spend at least $40 million. Operatives are prepared for a Senate race that could cost $80 million." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aa3ea4cd51b838b6ce024e6e01f5c642b86a84286e17be2951

TWO MARGARITAS FOR FRIDAY, August 19. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. In the most exciting news reported here all week, your Huddle host will be on vacation next week! I'll be lounging beachside in the Caribbean so send scoops and tips to Seung Min Kim (skim@politico.com) and Rachael Bade (rbade@politico.com), who will be keeping your favorite newsletter chugging along in my absence.

TODAY IN CONGRESS-The House and Senate are back in session in 18 days.

AROUND THE HILL- Something like this: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aa0fddfe917b70e17d00524b9f55fc790d86e62de17227b3f7

CORRINE BROWN'S LAWYERS WANT OUT- "Rep. Corrine Brown's attorneys asked a judge Thursday to let them quit representing her, just two days after they filed paperwork committing to handle her federal fraud trial. 'Irreconcilable differences exist and the relationship is strained where effective representation is compromised,' attorneys Mark NeJame and David Haas wrote in a filing to U.S. Magistrate James R. Klindt."

"The request didn't spell out the problem, but the pair said 'it has created an atmosphere of hostility and distrust not conducive to further representation,'" writes Steve Patterson for the Florida Times-Union. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7355b56031d7a1aab0c19cec2a212d4d0462f196f0c9d5a906440d9af7991f6f

DOWN-BALLOT WORRIES RISE- "While Republicans anticipate that their down-ballot candidates will be able to outpace Mr. Trump's share of the vote, national and local party officials and strategists are increasingly concerned that he is in danger of being so soundly defeated that even their best-prepared candidates will not be able to withstand the backlash to the top of the ticket," Jonathan Martin reports for the New York Times.

Graham with the ol' death spiral quote: "'People are getting pretty nervous about our candidates because he's in a death spiral here and nobody knows where the bottom is at,' said Senator Lindsey Graham." JMart breaks it down: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c87ebc1737cb48b8f2ebd91a33ad3d83bc6752c92a2dba9ddd191b7cbf38644

POLL ALERT: NEVADA SENATE RACE-The race to replace outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is in a dead heat. "The Suffolk University poll shows Republican Rep. Joe Heck tied with Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto at 37 percent. Fourteen percent of likely voters say they haven't decided on who should replace" Reid. Roll Call's Jeremy Silk Smith: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c87ebc1737cb48bbfd70f4d83ee8fea79a3d0afb13fff7d597c7da62c9ad85a

GOP PREPS CLINTON PERJURY CASE- "House Republicans are doubling down in their effort to bring perjury charges against Hillary Clinton over her testimony last year to the House Select Committee on Benghazi ...Next month, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee plan to make the issue a central part of a hearing with senior officials from the FBI," writes the Hill's Julian Hattem.

"Legally, the GOP faces a tough case. Politically, however, raising the perjury allegations would be a way to keep the issue of Clinton's truthfulness in the public eye throughout the fall." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c87ebc1737cb48b0f1a3fc05eb9d208aa60a8f1448fcec0f96935e1995bb67b

REPUBLICANS DOUBLE DOWN ON IRAN PAYMENT- "The Obama administration said for the first time on Thursday that its $400 million cash payment to Iran in January was used as 'leverage' to gain the release of American prisoners, fueling criticism that the exchange amounted to the U.S. paying ransom. ... The handling of the payment and the timing of the Americans' release have drawn criticism from Republicans ... [and] Republican leaders in Congress have said they are planning to hold hearings on the cash transfer in September." Carol Lee and Jay Solomon for the Wall Street Journal: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c87ebc1737cb48b6c8b7743e0eebee37c1eb3e13b4169aa25f62940e301d3b4

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Kirtan Mehta was the first to correctly guess that former Rep. Ed Boland authored the amendment limiting U.S. funding in Central America. Mehta also guessed that Boland's famous roommate was House Speaker Tip O'Neill.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Dan Moll brings us today's question: What former major league baseball legend once challenged an incumbent Democrat in Maryland's 6th Congressional District seat, but lost despite being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame just four years earlier? Hint: He has a Maryland high school named after him. The first person to correctly answer gets a shout-out in Monday's Huddle. Email me: hcaygle@politico.com

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