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Since the dawn of humanity, we've wondered: "Are we alone?" It's a question tackled by countless movies, television shows, books, video games, and other art forms, with narratives that invite us to question, in many ways, our very understanding of the universe. One of the latest attempts to unravel this mystery is Steven Spielberg 's newest blockbuster, Disclosure Day . Featuring an ensemble cast including Emily Blunt , Josh O'Connor , Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth , Disclosure Day follows Blunt and O'Connor's characters as they attempt to reveal proof of alien life to the world, while evading the forces trying to stop them.

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Josh Sawyer isn't taking any credit for Fallout: New Vegas's conception, despite the fact that he directed the beloved RPG at Obsidian.

Like most games, Fallout: New Vegas was a collaborative effort with various leads at Obsidian spearheading different elements of the world and story, but in terms of the initial concept, it's fairly established history that studio co-founder Chris Avellone came up with the idea for the starting incident, which is the courier getting shot in the head and being buried in a shallow grave. Sawyer, as director, set the overall vision of the project, but he makes clear in an interview with The Examined Game that he wasn't involved in the initial discussions at all.

"I wasn't part of any of those early conversations," he says. "When I was at Obsidian around 2009, I had been a lead designer on an Aliens project that went very badly," he adds, referring to the canceled horror RPG Aliens: Crucible, "and it was the owners who had been talking to Bethesda. I had no idea that any of this stuff was going on.

"But then Feargus Urquhart, who's the studio head of Obsidian, he came to me and he said 'hey, we're talking to Bethesda about making a Fallout game – I think it was called Fallout 3: New Vegas or Fallout 3: Sin City – but it was a proposal that I believe [Obsidian co-founder] Chris Avellone had written, and I was completely unaware that they were doing this really, but basically he said, 'would you be willing to direct it?', and I was like, 'yeah, what? Of course.'"

Hearing this, I can't help but be reminded of a recent video from Sawyer's old Obsidian co-worker and fellow Fallout royalty Tim Cain, in which Cain explains how he "fumbled" his way through his early career , including his time at Interplay in which he created the Fallout series. According to these two generational RPG developers, the trick to success in this industry is just to really make sure you're in the right place at the right time.

"I didn't pitch New Vegas. New Vegas almost literally fell in my lap, because Feargus just sort of said, 'here you go', and yeah, it was just luck. It was just pure luck, like most things in my career," Sawyer adds.

There's a good reason Fallout: New Vegas remains on our list of the best RPGs to play in 2026.

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Lawyers for an American citizen, recently released from an Iraqi prison following a terrorism-related sentence, say the man has been newly detained in Turkey at the behest of the U.S. government.

In a petition filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., attorneys for Shawki Ahmad Sharif Omar, who was born in Kuwait but naturalized as a U.S. citizen in the 1980s, allege that the U.S. is working with Turkish officials to keep him from reentering the United States. He is being held in a Turkish “deportation facility,” but Omar’s lawyers argue that he is effectively in the “constructive custody” of the U.S. government, and they are asking a federal judge to order his release and return.

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge John Bates, an appointee of George W. Bush.

Omar, who is also a Jordanian citizen, was arrested by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004 for allegedly providing aid to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. He drew international attention after describing abuse and torture he experienced while in U.S. military custody. After the U.S. delivered him to Iraqi authorities in 2011, he was convicted of immigration violations and — several years later — terrorism charges that kept him in jail until this past April.

In all, Omar has spent most of the past 22 years in detention facilities and prisons. His backstory is both complicated and opaque, shrouded by layers of government secrecy and records of decades-old court proceedings. Evidence supplied by the U.S. government during a 2008 Supreme Court fight stemming from efforts to send him to Iraqi custody portrayed Omar as a key fixer for Zarqawi “facilitating his group’s connection with other terrorist groups, bringing foreign fighters into Iraq, and planning and executing kidnappings.”

But his allies have claimed the U.S. evidence for those allegations was flimsy and never corroborated. Omar and his allies have also claimed the Iraqi legal proceedings were unfair and deprived him of due process. His case has made international headlines for years.

Omar’s attorneys say he was issued a temporary U.S. passport after his release from Iraqi custody in April but that he was nevertheless added to the no-fly list and barred from traveling to the U.S. to reunite with his family — which includes his wife and U.S. citizen children.

The U.S. has broad latitude to include even its citizens on the no-fly list, a secretive list of individuals believed to pose a risk to U.S. national security given their affiliations, foreign travel and other personal information. But Omar’s claim that the Turkish authorities are holding him at the behest of the United States raise new questions about the legal authority of the U.S. to cooperate with foreign governments on border security and migration goals.

It is unusual for the U.S. to ask another country to detain a U.S. citizen as a way to bar their re-entry, regardless of their criminal record.

Turkish officials detained Omar and sent him to a deportation center, where he has been for the last week at an unknown facility, according to his petition. The filing claims that the officials told Omar that they were acting on a request from U.S. authorities. The complaint includes text of correspondence with State Department officials who acknowledged Omar’s detention and said they were working with Turkish counterparts to verify his well-being.

“The government cannot now argue that it lacks control over Petitioner’s detention when it has affirmatively exercised its authority to intervene on his behalf,” his lawyers wrote.

They argued that Omar is “in danger of being deported to a country where he faces a real risk of torture including Jordan — a country that has interrogated his family members about his whereabouts and activities or being subjected to torture in Türkiye at the behest of the United States in light of the fact that he has already once been turned over to a country that tortured him, by United States officials.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Agency and accordingly the no-fly list, directed POLITICO to the FBI, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Turkey also didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Omar’s lawyer, Curtis Doebbler, declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The argument by Omar’s lawyers is similar to one raised by more more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were abruptly deported to El Salvador last year after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to label them members of a violent transnational gang. Though they were quickly transported to Salvadoran custody — despite efforts by a federal judge to block the transfer — the men claimed they were still in the “constructive custody” of the United States, claiming the Trump administration had the power to bring them back.

It is also the latest juncture in a nearly two-decade legal fight for Omar. Omar has claimed he and his then-pregnant wife were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, a U.S.-run detention facility 20 miles from Baghdad where service members and U.S. intelligence officers were accused of serious abuses, including sexual abuse and torture of inmates. The lawsuit claims Omar received a settlement from the U.S. government for his experiences at Abu Ghraib.

In 2011, he was transferred to Iraqi custody and convicted on charges he was part of a “illegitimate group” and entered the country illegally — even though he entered with his U.S. passport (that was in the possession of U.S. authorities). The witness whose testimony undergirded Omar’s conviction on the charges he was part of an “illegitimate group” recanted subsequently.

Courts have previously ruled against the U.S. government when it has infringed on the rights of U.S. citizens accused of ties to terrorist organizations. In 2018, a U.S. court ruled in favor of a dual U.S.-Saudi citizen accused of fighting on behalf of ISIS in Syria, who the U.S. had tried to send to another country — presumably Saudi Arabia.

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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

PEN America Has Announced Its 2026 Emerging Voices and Mentors

Looking at the fellows and mentors chosen for this year’s Emerging Voices Fellowship feels like looking into the future. I say that because I’m sure the 11 poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction fellows chosen—as well as their mentors—will be making appearances in book list after book list, award ceremony after award ceremony in the coming years.

I met a few of the fellows and mentors last year during the 2025 summer Tin House workshop. Nikesha Elise Williams performed a short skit alongside one of my fellow workshop attendees and Deesha Philyaw (it was hilarious), and Diana Khoi Nguyen signed a book of poetry that I later gave my friend as a thank-you for hosting me in Portland. Then there was Chisaraokwu Asomugha, who performed a piece that was so ancestral, it felt like a summoning. I am so looking forward to what all of the fellows and mentors produce in the next few years.

How a Self-Published Book Became a Mega Bestseller

Theo of Golden is one of the bestselling books currently making all the lists right now, but its beginnings are a little unorthodox . It was written by a 70-year-old former judge who first went the self-publishing route before having his book distributed by a top-five publisher. It’s one of the few books to find success through this path that isn’t a romantasy. It seems it was able to do this mostly through word-of-mouth—it was published through Amazon’s self-publishing service in October 2023, then sent out to book clubs, libraries, and other bookish organizations. And…it actually worked. I can’t tell you how many publicity emails I get every day promoting a new book, and I’m sure the emails promoting this book were similar, but this one eventually got picked up by Simon & Schuster, and Katie Couric chose it for her book club.

To me, Allen Levi’s debut is another example of the Uplifting Fiction trend. What Katie Couric said about it kind of makes my point (she said she “ended up loving it and really appreciating its purity”). Though, to be fair, I’m not sure if calling uplifting fiction a trend is exactly accurate, since I think that people have always looked for an escape from the doom and gloom, and were doing so even before I started paying attention to literary trends.

These 5 Books Spill the Tea on America

I’ve been approaching all of these “Great American Lit” lists I’ve been coming across with automatic caution. There are so many of them coming out because America is hitting its 250th anniversary, as I had mentioned in a previous Today in Books posting, and people are looking to commemorate the event. Since anniversaries are celebratory by nature, I understand the urge to feature books in these lists that reflect that positivity. But there needs to be a balance between the real and the celebratory. That’s why I really appreciate Vox’s list of the five books that define America. While I would swap out a couple here and there, I think it does a pretty good job of highlighting books that explored major American ideologies and periods. The Scarlet Letter , Beloved , and The Great Gatsby all make an appearance in the main list, while There There , Invisible Man , and The Great Believers made another list compiled by non- Vox book experts.

Personally, I think the main list should replace Moby-Dick with historical fiction by and about First Nations characters, such as Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko. There needs to be more women, Black, queer, and Indigenous writers on the list in general. We have been reading books written from the white cis-hetero male perspective on America since we started reading about America. And what we do know is that these narratives left things out. A list of books that define America should represent how America truly is and has been, not just what a certain demographic hoped it would be. That’s partially why Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was one of the best books of 2025 for me—it gave me a peek into the lives and beliefs of a First Nations community (and taught me about an oft-forgotten, real massacre) from the perspective of a First Nations person.

July’s Best Historical Fiction

Speaking of historical fiction that’ll learn you something, I always look forward to Rachel Brittain’s historical fiction round-ups each month. Growing up, sometimes I felt the historical fiction I read taught me more about history than my classes, and this month’s best releases will show you everything from 1989 Romania to an enslaved midwife’s journey to 1940s Mexico.

What are you reading? Let us know in the comments !

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Two brothers from the wealthy and powerful Medici family died of malaria and were not poisoned as a rumor had suggested, archaeologists have confirmed based on a DNA analysis of the brothers' skeletons. The analysis also revealed a unique, mutated strain of malaria that may hold the key to understanding the evolution of the disease in Europe.

The Medici family rose to power in the 15th century by creating the largest bank in Europe. The family used their extraordinary wealth to fund Renaissance artists and to start a political dynasty that eventually included numerous dukes, four popes and two queens of France.

In the 16th century, Cosimo I took over all of Tuscany as grand duke. But within a span of 25 years, at least five of his family members died from high fevers. This gave rise to a rumor that some of them had been poisoned with arsenic by another family member, although most people believed they died of malaria.

To get to the bottom of the 500-year-old Medici cold case, an international group of researchers tested the bones of two of Cosimo I's sons: Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici and Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici, for the DNA of Plasmodium falciparum , the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria and that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The researchers extracted ancient DNA from the bones of Cardinal Giovanni, who died in 1562 at age 19 in the same month as his mother and younger brother Garzia, and from Grand Duke Francesco I, who died at age 46 in 1587 along with his wife. The team's study was published online June 17 in the journal iScience .

Because of the almost simultaneous deaths of Grand Duke Francesco I and his wife, a rumor circulated that another brother had poisoned them over a long-standing feud. But the Medicis were known to have frequented their family villas in marshy and swampy areas of Tuscany, where malaria was prevalent well into the 20th century.

Researchers found evidence of P. falciparum in the bones of both Medici brothers, confirming reports from court physicians at the time that described the brothers as sick with "tertian fever," a type of high fever that returns every three days and is a hallmark of malaria. The medical reports also revealed the brothers were treated with bloodletting.

The name plate from the tomb of Grand Duke Francesco de' Medici, who died of malaria in 1587. (Image credit: Courtesy the University of Pisa) "Now we can say with scientific certainty that malaria, not poisoning, killed Grand Duke Francesco de Medici," study co-author Valentina Giuffra , a medical historian at the University of Pisa, said in a statement .

But the ancient-DNA study held two additional surprises.

The Grand Duke's bones were positive not only for P. falciparum but also for Plasmodium malariae , a different parasite species that also causes malaria in humans, suggesting that both species contributed to the severe illness that killed him and his wife.

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Cardinal Giovanni, on the other hand, had only P. falciparum , but the specific strain that infected him was previously unknown. The strain is similar to those found in ancient and early modern Europe, but with two mutations the researchers had never seen before, they wrote in the study.

"The study of ancient DNA offers us an opportunity not only to diagnose malaria in the remains of individuals from the past, but it also offers us a window for understanding the evolution of malaria species, Plasmodium falciparum in this case, which can help scientists better understand how the pathogen adapts over time," study first author Alexander Ochoa , an evolutionary biologist at Yale University, said in the statement.

Further analysis of the brothers' bones is needed to determine the evolutionary relationship between the strains of malaria they carried, the researchers wrote in the study.

What do you know about the bones in your body? Test your knowledge with our human skeleton quiz .

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Kia has posted its best-ever June and highest first-half sales.

June sales climbed 10.4%, while year-to-date sales are up 3.4%.

Brand expects continued success thanks to new Seltos and EV3.

Kia America has 70,507 reasons to celebrate as the brand posted their best June on record. On top of that, year-to-date sales totaled 430,727 units, which is an all-time record for first-half sales.

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The automaker received a boost from high gas prices as consumers embraced hybrids. Sales of eco-friendly models soared 187% compared to a year ago and was driven by strong demand for the Sportage Hybrid (up 165%), Sorento Hybrid (up 145%), and Carnival Hybrid (up 54%).

More: 2027 Kia Seltos Has A Higher Price To Match Its More Upscale Design

Jumping into the numbers, the top seller in June was the Sportage. Consumers snapped up 15,995 units for a 26.6% increase compared to last year. The redesigned Telluride wasn’t far behind at 11,432 units, which was a 23.7% jump.

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The K4 finished in third place with 10,553 sales for an 8.7% drop from a year ago. Thankfully, the K5 avoided the same fate as sales climbed 13.6% to 6,378 units.

EVs were a bit of a mixed bag as EV6 sales fell 96 units to land at a mere 584. The EV9 , on the other hand, was up 42.3% to 1,299 units.

Zooming out further, Kia has moved 94,907 Sportages in the first six months of the year. The Telluride and K4 are neck and neck at 73,602 and 73,579, respectively. They’re followed by the Sorento (49,348) and Carnival (40,068).

The minivan is interesting to note as June sales were up 34.4%, while the model climbed 20.9% in the first six months of the year. Those are solid gains and they show there’s still a sizable market for vans.

It’s also worth noting Kia managed to phase out the Soul without experiencing an overall drop in sales. That’s a welcome development as the model found 4,737 buyers in June of 2025 and 26,126 in the first-half of last year.

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Kia America’s vice president of sales, Eric Watson, said “The results illustrate our ability to react to shifting market demands by resetting our showrooms with the right mix of ICE, hybrid and electrified models. As we enter the second half of the year, we expect our momentum to continue, driven by strong anticipation for the all-new Seltos, which will begin full-scale sales nationwide in July, alongside the continued success of the 2027 Telluride, the expansion of our hybrid lineup, and the launch of the all-new EV3 .”

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June 2026 Kia US Sales

Model June 26 June 25 YTD 26 YTD 25

EV9 1,299 913 7,035 4,938

EV6 584 680 4,043 5,875

K4/Forte 10,553 11,564 73,579 75,535

K5 6,378 5,613 38,394 34,565

Soul 3 4,737 3,480 26,126

Niro 2,048 1,966 13,767 11,788

Seltos 6,627 4,259 32,504 24,939

Sportage 15,995 12,630 94,907 87,172

Sorento 8,602 7,050 49,348 50,919

Telluride 11,432 9,239 73,602 61,502

Carnival 6,986 5,198 40,068 33,152

Total 70,507 63,849 430,727 416,511

SWIPE