Publishing & Awards: Manhattan Book Group scored big at the 2026 Manhattan Book Awards, taking Bronze for “The Friendship Party” and Gold for “Six Weeks: A Literary Memoir,” spotlighting standout independent/hybrid titles. Children’s Safety: Consumer Reports and the CPSC are in the spotlight again as toddler tower recalls hit 434,176 units since 2025, with new recalls tied to tip-over and entrapment risks. Free Expression Law: Massachusetts passed an “Act regarding free expression” to set clearer rules for how schools and libraries handle book challenges, after a sharp rise in formal challenges. AI vs. Books: Multiple reports keep pressing the same alarm: tech firms are buying and destroying books to train AI, raising fresh backlash over access to rare print culture. Early Learning Policy: A Trump administration overhaul of Head Start could gut federal quality standards, shifting most details to states and local rules. Book Industry in Conflict Zones: Russian strikes reportedly burned or destroyed millions of books and hit publishing storage in Ukraine, adding to mounting pressure on the region’s book production. Local Literary Honors: Georgia named Clarkston poet Rupert Fike “Author of the Year” for “All Things in Common: Poems From the Farm,” reinforcing how regional presses and journals keep feeding the national conversation.