�鶹Ů��

As Congress returned from a seven-week recess on Tuesday, Senate Democrats again stymied a $1.1 billion plan to fight the Zika virus, demanding that Republicans drop an effort to block Planned Parenthood from receiving money to combat the mosquito-borne disease. Democrats, who had essentially blocked the same legislation in late June, had enough votes Tuesday to prevent Congress from moving emergency funding public health experts say is desperately needed as they prepare for the possibility that Zika will spread to other states along the gulf coast. The vote was 52 to 46, and Republicans needed 60 votes to advance the bill. (Hutteman and Tavernise, 9/6)

The next opportunity to attach Zika funding to must-pass legislation, perhaps the only chance in the near future, will be the legislative package to fund government beyond Sept. 30. “It’s probably … likely this will be in the end of the fiscal year wrap up,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters in the Capitol. “That would be my guess.” Republicans in both the House and Senate are considering options to approve Zika funding, according to aides. (Haberkorn, 9/6)

A divided Senate on Tuesday again rejected a funding bill to fight the Zika virus, proving that Congress’s months-old stalemate went resolved over its lengthy summer recess. In a 52-46 procedural vote, the Senate failed to win the 60 votes necessary to move forward and end debate on a conference report with the House on the issue. Democrats nearly unanimously voted to block the $1.1 billion funding bill, which was approved by House Republicans in June but has now failed three times in the Senate because of divisive language targeting Planned Parenthood. (Ferris, 9/6)

The Senate GOP’s top advocate for Zika funding said Tuesday the best chance of getting money out the floor this month is by attaching it to the must-pass government spending bill. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is endorsing a plan to save the much-disputed public health package by wrapping it into the stopgap spending bill that’s due in Congress by Sept. 30. (Ferris, 9/6)

Congress has less than a month to agree on how to fund the government as lawmakers eye close races back home that could weaken the GOP's hold on the House and possibly tip control of the Senate. Although Minority Leader Harry Reid has mentioned the possibility of a government shutdown, most in Congress, which returned to work Monday after a seven-week break, are avoiding that possibility. (Muchmore, 9/6)

Seven months after President Obama first requested emergency funding to respond to the Zika crisis, an end to the congressional impasse over the money might finally be in sight. But first, the partisan politics are likely to stew for a little while longer. (Scott, 9/7)

Congress has had difficulty accomplishing much in this session, even where a potential health crisis like the Zika virus is concerned. Here are five questions that help explain the debate. (Hutteman, 9/6)

Researchers have found that the Zika virus can live in eyes, and research in mice may help explain why some Zika patients develop eye disease, including a condition that can lead to permanent vision loss. In a study published Tuesday in Cell Reports, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describe the effect of Zika virus infections in the eyes of mouse fetuses, newborns and adults. The study suggests that the eye could be a reservoir for the virus. (Sun, 9/6)

The World Health Organization on Tuesday clarified — once again — its advice on sexual transmission of the Zika virus, saying that couples living in areas where it is circulating should be offered contraception and counseling to help decide whether to become pregnant. A spokeswoman said the agency made the announcement to clear up earlier confusion over whether it was advising women to avoid pregnancy during the epidemic. The W.H.O. is not offering such advice, although, she conceded, officials did appear to have said as much in June. (McNeil, 9/6)

The world’s largest condom maker by volume says it views the spreading concern about the Zika virus as a long-term boost for demand. Malaysia-based Karex Bhd.’s share price has jumped 9.5% since early September. On Aug. 29, Singapore authorities announced they had identified 41 cases of Zika virus infection that were transmitted locally. The total number of cases of Zika transmissions reported in Singapore has reached 258 as of Monday, and new cases have been reported recent days in Malaysia and the Philippines. On Wednesday, Malaysia confirmed its first case of the Zika virus in a pregnant 27-year-old woman. (Ngui, 9/7)

A Tampa firefighter who lives in Pinellas County is the first person with a locally-transmitted case of Zika in the Tampa Bay area. (Ochoa, 9/6)