A former top Missouri lawmaker has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for misusing pandemic relief funds. Former Republican state House Speaker John Diehl pleaded guilty to wire fraud for using about $380,000 of federal loans on personal expenses instead of his law firm's operating costs. He was sentenced Monday. Diehl admitted using the money on country club dues, swimming pool upkeep, his home mortgage and vehicle payments. Diehl resigned from the state House in 2015 after media reported he had exchanged sexually suggestive text messages with a college student who was a Capitol intern.

The White House is trying to show it's lowering the cost of living, but President Donald Trump has said he doesn't want to see the price of homes come down. He wants to keep values high. That's something in the interest of existing homeowners and they're a key part of his political base. And older voters tend to show up to vote more than do younger people, so Trump's position on housing could be a factor in the November elections. But Trump's aversion to policies that would expand housing supply and lower prices risks alienating younger voters and could hurt the chances for his Republican Party to expand its voting base.