Consumer groups push back against Facebook privacy threat, Nancy Pelosi goes all-in on military action against Syria, 3-year-old boy dies while his mother sells fruit on the street, more.
Top of the news
Prosecutors are weighing whether to charge 49ers star linebacker Aldon Smith with possessing illegal assault rifles, which, if he were to be convicted, could garner a range of punishments, from probation to up to three years in prison. Mercury News
Several consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission to block proposed changes to Facebook policies that they insist would allow the company to use the names and images of its nearly 1.2 billion users without their consent to endorse products in ads. LA Times
Politics and government
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is all-in on military action against Syria. Chronicle
The state Assembly narrowly approved legislation that would open a one-year window for some victims of child sex abuse to sue religious organizations and other private and non-profit groups that employed their abusers. AP
Somebody calls New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner a “scumbag” during a campaign stop at a bakery and Weiner replies, “Yeah? It takes one to know one.” Video here.
Other news and items of interest
A three-year-old boy playing in the parking lot of an abandoned commercial building was run over and killed in Oakland as his mother sold fruit on the street nearby. Chronicle
Convicted serial killer Joseph Naso lashed out at prosecutors, calling them “whores” during the penalty phase of his murder trial in Marin County. Marin IJ
John Muir Health, which operates hospitals in Walnut Creek and Concord, will sell its MuirLab clinical lab business to LabCorp and lay off 540 people. SF Business Times
The U. S. Forest Service doesn’t know what caused the Rim Fire, but on Wednesday took the unusual step of ruling out a marijuana grow operation as being the source. Mercury News
The America’s Cup cheating scandal involving Oracle Team USA isn’t exactly enhancing Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s image in the sailing world. SF Business Times
The AL West is deadlocked again after the A’s pound the Texas Rangers 11-4 at the Coliseum to take the series two games to one. Mercury News
The Giants not only win a game, they get six homers doing it, three from Pablo Sandoval in a 13-5 rout of San Diego. Chronicle
