Missouri’s Republican attorney general has pledged to enforce some laws restricting abortion despite a new constitutional amendment widely expected to undo the state’s near-total ban on the procedure.

In an opinion requested by incoming GOP governor Mike Kehoe, Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote that his office will continue enforcing a ban on abortion after fetal viability.

There is an exception carved out in the amendment for cases in which a health care provider deems an abortion necessary to “protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”

“Under the express terms of the amendment, the government may still protect innocent life after viability,” Bailey wrote. “The statutes thus remain generally enforceable after viability.”

Bailey said his office also will continue to honor a Missouri law requiring parental permission for minors to receive abortions.

Bailey’s opinion comes after voters approved a ballot measure this month that enshrines abortion rights in the state constitution while allowing lawmakers to restrict or ban it after fetal viability.

The term “viability” is used by health care providers to describe whether a pregnancy is expected to continue developing normally or whether a fetus might survive outside the uterus. Though there’s no defined time frame, doctors say it is sometime after the 21st week of pregnancy.

The measure’s passage was one of seven victories for abortion rights advocates this past election, while Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place.

Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and Montana. Nevada voters also approved an amendment, but they’ll need to pass it again it 2026 for it to take effect. Another that bans discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy outcomes” prevailed in New York.

The Missouri amendment, which is to take effect Dec. 5, does not specifically override any state laws. Instead the measure leaves it to advocates to ask courts to knock down bans that they believe would now be unconstitutional.

Planned Parenthood affiliates that operate in Missouri sued the day after the election to invalidate the state’s abortion ban and several laws that regulate the care. That lawsuit is still pending.

Allowing restrictions on abortions after viability was a sticking point for some abortion rights supporters in Missouri.

Advocates had worried that failing to include such limits would sink their chances of passing abortion protections. But others cautioned against giving the Republican-controlled Legislature the power to enact regulations that could effectively end access.

(CNN) — Cucumbers distributed to more than two dozen US states and Canada are being recalled after 68 reported salmonella infections. Health agencies are warning that the contaminated cucumbers may still be in people’s refrigerators and should not be eaten.

SunFed Produce announced Wednesday that it’s recalling whole fresh cucumbers sent to foodservice and retail outlets and sold from October 12 through November 26. The recalled products were in bulk cardboard containers labelled SunFed or in generic white boxes or black plastic crates with a sticker with the name of the grower, Agrotato, S. A. de C.V. They were grown in Sonora, Mexico.

The cucumbers were shipped to customers in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Ontario. However, the cucumbers may have reached consumers in other states, too, SunFed said.

As of November 26, 68 people in 19 states have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium and 18 of the infected people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The last date of illness reported was November 16, the US Food and Drug Administration said in an outbreak update posted Friday.

The recalled cucumbers should be thrown out or destroyed and should not be eaten. People should clean and sanitize surfaces that came into contact with the recalled products.

“These cucumbers may still be in your refrigerator, so check the stickers on your cucumbers. If the sticker shows ‘SunFed Mexico’ as the place where your cucumbers were grown, throw them away or return them to the location where you bought them,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a food safety alert posted Friday.

In a statement, SunFed President Craig Slate said the company is “working closely with authorities and the implicated ranch to determine the possible cause. Here at SunFed, food safety and consumer health and wellness have been our priorities for more than 30 years. We require all of our growers to strictly comply with the FDA food safety requirements.”

Symptoms of a salmonella infection include diarrhea and bloody diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting that can start within hours or days of consuming the bacteria. Most people will recover with specific treatment but they should seek immediate attention from a health-care provider if they have severe symptoms, if symptoms that don’t improve after a few days or if there are signs of dehydration. Children, elderly people, people who are pregnant and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill.

The-CNN-Wire

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Since Arkansas and Missouri began playing each other in 1906, the series has never been close to even.

The Razorbacks have never won on the road in Columbia either which might be a factor in ESPN’s analytics model only giving them a 33% chance of pulling a road upset of No. 23 Missouri. Arkansas’ previous two trips resulted in a pair of two-point losses, including a 2020 game which Arkansas led with 29 seconds left before a 32-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis secured a Tigers win.

Overall, Missouri holds an 11-4 series lead over Arkansas, including an 8-2 mark since 2014 when the rivalry began. The Razorbacks’ last victory against Missouri came in 2021 with a decisive 34-17 victory.

Arkansas alum David Bazzel created the Battle Line Trophy in 2014 that is 4-foot-4, 180 pound silver cutout of the states with a line in the middle which represents the border. Whichever school wins the game each season gets to put its primary colored bar in the slot.

Missouri is in search of its ninth win of the season which will mean its most wins in a two-year span since 2013-14 when the Tigers went to two consecutive SEC championship games. The Razorbacks look to continue distancing themselves from last year’s disastrous 4-8 season to notch a second win over a ranked opponent this season.

Hogs’ Bowl Outlook

There are a couple of bowl destinations in play for the Razorbacks based on whether they win or lose Saturday. Should Arkansas defeat Missouri, the bowl tier could improve to the Tax Act Texas Bowl in Houston Dec. 28 against a representative from the Big 12.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl could also be in play in Memphis against another Big 12 opponent which would also take place Dec. 28. The Razorbacks have previously played across the border three times in 2009, 2016 and 2022.

If Arkansas falls to 6-6 with a loss, its possible that trip to its first TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl against an American Athletic Conference opponent Dec. 27. Should Arkansas not be selected to travel to Alabama, it could play another AAC team in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa Dec. 23.

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