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A federal judge said he will issue a ruling Tuesday that will determine whether Missouri’s new abortion law banning abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy will take effect as scheduled this week. During a court hearing on Monday, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union asked U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the law from taking effect on Wednesday until a legal challenge against it is decided. Sachs told attorneys he had a draft of his written ruling ready, but that he wanted to consider Monday’s arguments before issuing it on Tuesday. He did not indicate how he would rule. (Ballentine and Stafford, 8/26)

On a recent sun-shot afternoon outside the Manufactory in downtown Los Angeles, a crowd collected around tables loaded with ornate cakes, decorated with fresh flowers, piped frosting and buttercream slogans that read “mind your own uterus” and “no more hangers.” It was a community action meeting masquerading as a high-end bake sale; Michelle Obama meets Antoine Carême. Around the country, pastry chefs are banding together and throwing old-fashioned bake sales to raise funds for causes they care about. It’s hardly a new model: Folks have been trading cookies for cash and causes — in classrooms, churches and on sidewalks — for decades. (Scattergood, 8/26)

The five contenders who hope to succeed state Sen. Dan Claitor showed wide differences on abortion during a forum Monday at the Press Club of Baton Rouge. ... The clearest split of the forum focused on whether an abortion bill signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards that banned abortion at about six weeks of pregnancy should have included an exception for rape and incest. (Sentell, 8/26)