AGP Executive Report

Supreme Court & Climate: Justice Samuel Alito’s last-minute recusal reshuffles a major climate lawsuit over whether Colorado localities can use state tort law to seek damages from energy companies tied to greenhouse-gas harms. Immigration Policy: The U.S. now requires certain TN/TD/I visa applicants to make social media accounts public before consular interviews, adding a new compliance step for cross-border workers and media. Publishing & Media Access: DOJ and White House press-access fights keep heating up, with ABC’s Todd Blanche defending Trump’s credential restrictions on outlets ahead of Xi’s visit. Tech & AI Governance: A new warning from an AI researcher argues autonomous agents are outpacing human control, while Google pushes fact-checking for generative AI publishing. Books & Community: Orange Shirt Society hosts a Truth and Reconciliation community breakfast, and local book events keep rolling across the country. Nuclear & Energy: NRC greenlights a TVA small modular reactor construction permit, signaling a clearer licensing path for future SMR projects. Health & Food: Texas expands nutrition access through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, supporting meals for day care and after-school settings. Local Politics: Monroeville, Alabama elects its first Black mayor, a milestone for a town tied to Harper Lee’s legacy.

Publishing & Media Law: A federal judge tossed antitrust claims from Chegg and Penske Media over Google’s AI search summaries, saying an “expectation” of traffic isn’t an agreement—another blow to publishers fighting referral losses. AI & Books: Audible is rolling out features that let listeners explore “book worlds” and talk to characters with AI. Book Culture & Events: A protest disrupted a Mahmoud Khalil book event, while Seattle’s mayor hosted authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor to discuss their Gaza-and-future-fascism book. New Releases: Andrews McMeel Publishing debuts Native history comedian Joey Clift’s “We’ve Been Here the Whole Time!”; and a former Marianas journalist turns nursing-home reporting into “Would You Leave Your Parents Here?” Industry Watch: ILiAD announced Phase 2b results in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (a reminder how publishing and research news keep colliding).

Publishing & Reading Initiatives: Utah launched a statewide Utah Reads Read-a-Thon, aiming to get more than 275,000 students and adults reading together, with books distributed via schools, libraries, workplaces, and a livestream kickoff. Children’s Literacy Philanthropy: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library continues to expand early reading access, with its monthly book program credited with building kindergarten readiness and a long-term love of reading. AI & Publishing/Content Standards: Google updated its Search guidance for generative AI publishing, stressing manual fact-checking and review to reduce inaccuracies and low-effort content. Media Industry Dealmaking: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are set to complete their $110B merger and operate under the Skydance name, reshaping major U.S. studio and animation operations. Book Culture & Community: Libro.fm and the Silent Book Club plan a Banned Books Week read-in, keeping attention on censorship and access. Labor in Newsrooms: The Daily Herald (suburban Chicago) voted 15-0 to unionize after Tribune Publishing layoffs, a reminder that publishing-adjacent jobs remain in flux.

Antitrust & Media Deal: A federal judge approved Paramount’s settlement with 12 states, clearing the way for the $81B Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger to close Oct. 6, with Ynon Kreiz set to join as co-CEO. Publishing & Bookselling: 2nd & Charles is spotlighting “banned books” via in-store displays that let customers choose for themselves, while a panel at Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston amplified local Black authors and the question of who gets to tell stories. Digital Comics Distribution: BookWalker expanded its webtoon and manhwa catalog through a new partnership with Ecomix Media, adding 18 series at launch. Book Culture & Community: A historian-author event at ASU’s Institute of Politics brought Jon Meacham and Michael Crow together on democracy’s founding ideas and today’s polarization. Reader Interest: “Data Empire” is being highlighted as a human-centric look at how information has long been used to organize, control, and dominate. Local Book News: A new nursing-home memoir from former Marianas journalist Aldwin Fajardo-Ponder, “Would You Leave Your Parents Here?,” is now available in eBook form.

Publishing & Books in Public Life: The Smithsonian Store hosted a Lower Manhattan conversation tied to American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence, spotlighting the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and its relevance to U.S. founding. Nonfiction Awards: Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling made the shortlist for the Baillie Gifford Prize, a major U.K. nonfiction payday. Labor & Newsroom Power: Daily Herald journalists voted 15-0 to form the Daily Herald News Guild after years of layoffs and pay cuts under Alden Global Capital/Tribune Publishing. AI & Copyright in Publishing: A Third Circuit ruling says training AI on a competitor’s proprietary, curated database for the same commercial purpose is copyright infringement, rejecting “just training data” fair use. Audiobooks & Rights Activism: Libro.fm and Silent Book Club are running a Banned Books Week Read-In with free audiobook picks and local bookstore/library events. YA-to-Screen Adaptations: Netflix is developing American Royals, based on Katharine McGee’s Alloy Entertainment YA series.

Publishing & Media Business: Digiday reports publishers are turning “GEO” from an experiment into a revenue play as search weakens and advertisers ask how brands can show up in AI answers. AI Regulation: New York’s “FAIR in News” bill would require generative-AI-labeled news content, raising free-speech and newsroom compliance concerns. Books & Culture Events: Singapore launches its first Indie Bookshop Day (Oct. 2–4) with a passport-and-stamp crawl across 20 shops. Legal/Press Freedom: A California appeals court upheld dismissal of a $25M defamation suit tied to a reporter publishing details from a domestic violence arrest, citing First Amendment protections. Community Publishing: A local Holy Trinity Catholic Parish fall festival includes a book fair (Oct. 17–18). Tech & Publishing Adjacent: CompoSecure opens a London design center to help banks and fintechs build premium metal card programs—an example of how “design” services are globalizing.

Publishing & Books: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library could expand across New Jersey after a lawmaker-backed push to fund statewide monthly book mailings for kids ages 0–5. Libraries & Community Reading: Georgia’s “Carnegie Library Trail” campaign spotlights surviving Carnegie buildings and invites residents to explore and download a guide. AI, Media & Policy: OpenAI and Amazon launched Bedrock Managed Agents, aiming to keep customer data inside AWS while enterprises build agent workflows. Free Press Under Pressure: A new report says Trump barred CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from entering the White House, renewing fights over access and press freedom. Legal/Industry: An appeals court sided with Thomson Reuters in a dispute over AI training. Culture & Controversy: A Huckabee-linked story calls India’s removal of an Israeli photo book “equivalent to book burning,” framing the dispute as censorship. Local Literacy: Rotary’s Winona club continues early-reading efforts through Books for Babies and classroom literacy support. Tourism & Books/Reading Culture: A Grand Canyon tour company challenges higher international visitor entrance fees, arguing it’s hurting tourism and local businesses.

AI & Publishing/Marketing: Wiley releases Pete Blackshaw’s The Answer Economy, arguing brands must win “recommendation share” as AI agents increasingly decide what consumers buy. AI in Media Buying: Amazon is developing agentic AI to automate parts of ad purchasing and optimization, potentially changing how campaigns are planned and executed. Hospitality Tech: AWS and Hilton say AI channels are already reshaping hotel discovery and bookings, with traditional sites/apps struggling to keep up. Free Press & Courts: A California appeals court blocks a $25M defamation bid by tech exec Maury Blackman over a Substack report on his domestic arrest. First Amendment on Campus: A student sues UTD claiming retaliation tied to speech and a letter-to-the-editor dispute. Democracy & Books: Waco attorney Skye Perryman promotes Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times on a tour focused on local civic action. Health Research Access: Sage and OpenEvidence partner to bring peer-reviewed medical research into point-of-care AI with direct citations. Animal Research Policy: Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan backs a bill to end federal funding for dog and cat research. Local Culture: Zoo Atlanta welcomes giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang for a 10-year stay, sparking community excitement.

AI & Publishing Tech: OpenAI unveiled “dots,” a new always-on personal agent for tasks like scheduling, travel planning, budgeting, debugging, and coding—another push in the consumer AI race that’s reshaping how people expect help from apps. Local Libraries & Books: Pike County Public Library marked its 125th anniversary with community events, a Friends book sale, and children’s storytime featuring “Peter the Pickle Vampire,” highlighting how local libraries keep book culture alive. Book Culture & Community Events: A festival at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach celebrated lucha libre with a book launch for “Luchadores vs. Everything,” plus panels and screenings—showing publishing’s role in preserving cultural history. Health & Storytelling: Stroke survivor and aphasia advocate Terence Ang is using World Stroke Day in October to connect lived experience, publishing, and art across New York and Singapore. Industry/Deals: CPI renewed a long-running agreement with Vericast for instant card issuance and personalization, underscoring ongoing infrastructure investment behind consumer-facing services. Media/Politics: U.S. prosecutors reopened an alleged Cornell University gang rape case after a lawsuit, keeping spotlight on accountability in major institutions.

Local Journalism & Education: My Local Press launched a free Student Journalism Program, letting high school and university reporters publish real local news on MyLocalPress.com with geo-fenced reach and teacher oversight. Publishing & Culture: HBO unveiled the Season 2 logo for its “Harry Potter” reboot, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” signaling a darker tone ahead of the first season’s Christmas debut. Books & Community Inclusion: An Iowa mom’s new children’s book, “Halloween is for Everyone,” aims to make the holiday welcoming for kids with autism, with a Barnes & Noble web launch set for Oct. 7. Higher Ed & Faculty Pay: A Kentucky museum curator at Western Kentucky University says she’s become the lowest-paid full-time professor after a salary fight, highlighting ongoing pressure on faculty compensation. Sports & Participation: A Newsday analysis reports Long Island high school football participation down 30% over a decade, with middle school down 43%, as parents cite head-injury concerns. AI & Media: Commentary argues that new tech—from Gutenberg to Google—has changed how people access news, but not necessarily how well they understand it.

Publishing & Books: Freecompany’s fantasy wargame Eldfall Chronicles adds new North American distributors (Southern Hobby, Ovrboard Wholesale, Universal Distribution, Warsenal) and expands Canadian ordering via Asmodee Canada and Universal Distribution. Media Industry: E.W. Scripps promotes Sean McGarvy to head of news, unifying local newsrooms, digital operations, and Scripps News under one consumer-focused strategy. Book Culture: A new novel review spotlights Min Jin Lee’s American Hagwon, a sweeping Korean-diaspora story centered on the Koh family and the role of education. Local Book Events: Red Balloon Bookshop and SubText Bookstore announce author appearances and readings across late September into October, including Percy Jackson-related programming. Policy & Tech (publishing-adjacent): The Trump administration rolls back Biden-era fuel economy standards, a reminder that regulatory shifts can ripple through industries that also shape media and publishing supply chains.

AI & Consumer Tech: Meta closed Connect by unveiling “Muse Charm,” a keychain device with a small touchscreen and 5G meant to keep talking to its Muse AI agent—shipping in December, but with no price set. Publishing & Culture: Scholastic is republishing J.K. Rowling’s debut with a U.S. title change: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is being dropped in favor of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” while the text stays the same. Books & Community: A Council Bluffs mom’s new children’s book, “Halloween is for Everyone,” launches Oct. 7 on Barnes & Noble to make the holiday more autism-friendly. Industry Watch: A new study warns shipping is unlikely to hit 2030 alternative-fuel targets, citing regulatory uncertainty around the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework. Business & Policy: The Trump administration plans to roll out looser fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, projecting lower fleet mileage than Biden-era rules. Local Tech Debate: Bowling Green residents are pushing back on Flock automated license-plate cameras, calling them an invasion of privacy.

K-12 Funding Crunch: National Life Group says 3,544 educators applied for its 2026 Back to School Supply Grants, and they reported spending an average $626 of their own money—highlighting how classroom costs keep landing on teachers. New Thriller From Maryland: Crofton author Michelle Carey released The Crofton Triangle, a political crime novel mixing cybercrime, surveillance, and corruption around a U.S. Senate vote. AI’s Cost Question: A report argues Big Tech’s AI buildout could reach $10 trillion and about 3.6% of GDP annually, raising the big issue of who pays for the infrastructure. Tech + Work Automation: General Motors is pursuing an autonomous forklift patent, a move that could reshape warehouse labor needs. Crypto Watch: XRP posts a sharp run after a policy-driven surge, but analysts warn late buyers face tight support/resistance as selling pressure builds. Tax Revenue Snapshot: Census data shows multiple states’ Q1 2026 totals shifting—North Dakota down 1.2%, Maryland up 6.5%, and Oklahoma down 10%. Publishing/Media Angle: Netflix adds A24’s Slice to its U.S. catalog, continuing the platform’s horror-comedy push.

K-12 Funding Gap: National Life Group’s LifeChanger of the Year Back to School Supply Grants say 3,544 educators spent an average $626 of their own money on classroom supplies, underscoring how much teachers are forced to cover. Publishing & Media: A judge ordered the White House to restore access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after a ban fight, keeping press access in the spotlight. Tech & Books/Reading Tech: Meta’s new AI agent “Muse” is driving a major stock surge, with investors focused on early adoption and downloads. AI & Fraud: The FTC reports 2025 fraud losses hit $15.9B, and new scams increasingly use AI to mimic real websites, emails, and audio/video—plus practical tips to avoid getting hooked. Aviation Disruption: A rare September nor’easter grounded hundreds of flights across the Northeast, with cascading delays and cancellations. Crypto Lobbying: The Blockchain Association announced CEO Summer Mersinger will step down Oct. 16, with founder Kristin Smith returning as interim CEO.

K-12 Funding Crunch: National Life Group’s 2026 Back to School Supply Grants found 3,544 educators averaged $626 out of pocket for classroom supplies, underscoring how much teachers are covering basic needs themselves. Public Lands Fight: A new op-ed argues Trump’s 2025 public lands law could force sweeping oil-and-gas lease sales and industrial development across vast acreage, with little agency discretion. Hurricane Nolo Watch: Hawaii officials report Nolo moving west with a Hurricane Watch and Flood Watch in effect for the Big Island, including road closures and heavy-rain totals. White House Press Access: CNN says it was barred from Air Force One for Trump’s trip, part of a broader dispute over media access and First Amendment concerns. Crypto Debate: A former BlackRock executive calls Bitcoin an “exit asset” and Ethereum “the new rails,” while another report says institutions treat ETH more as speculative. Travel Disruption: Delta faces triple-digit cancellations as a nor’easter hits major Northeast hubs, especially Boston Logan. Publishing/Books & Culture: Dolly Parton Day is being marked with book drives and literacy efforts tied to Imagination Library.

K-12 Funding Crunch: National Life Group’s LifeChanger of the Year Back to School Supply Grants found 3,544 educators spent an average of $626 of their own money on classroom supplies, underscoring a widening gap in school funding. White House Press Fight: CNN says it was barred from traveling with President Trump on Air Force One to Tennessee, as the administration continues to restrict major outlets amid a broader “fake news” dispute. Supreme Court Redistricting Reset: The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Missouri’s GOP-favored congressional map at the last minute, preserving a 2022 map and ending legal whiplash as voting begins. Publishing & Media: A commentary argues news publishers are replacing writers with AI; separate coverage highlights the Associated Press stylebook as a model of American editorial standards. Literary Culture: Dolly Parton Day spurred book drives and donations, including at Amoeba Hollywood, tied to Imagination Library. Tech/AI Agents: Reuters reports Meta’s “Muse” AI agent is drawing major U.S. attention by doing tasks beyond chat, including scheduling and booking.