Politics

Businesses affiliated with the husband of Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill have received almost $40 million of federal subsidies for low-income housing developments during her first five years in office.

McCaskill's Republican challenger, Todd Akin, claims the payments represent a "conflict of interest and a breach of trust" with voters. The Democratic senator's campaign says that is "flat-out wrong."

Updated with Tuesday's developments

Republican Missouri gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence issued a cease and desist letter to stations broadcasting one of Governor Jay Nixon's campaign ads. The Spence campaign called the ad false and defamatory, saying further broadcasting could lead to lawsuits.