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Februarys Humble Choice games are here, and this months mix features Trepang2, and lots more!Defy traditional FPS elements with the power of magic in Immortals of Aveum. Regain your suppressed memories by force in Trepang, and more! Discover addicting deckbuilders, adorable city sims, and a whole more with your membership this month!Get Humble ChoiceYour Games for FebruaryImmortals of AveumDefy traditional FPS elements and immerse yourself in a truly unique magical shooter. Immortals of Aveum is a single-player experience that blends spellcasting and shooter mechanics to deliver bombastic, exhilarating, moment-to-moment combat. Play as Jak, the last hope for the world of Aveum in the enduring Everwar. Battle legions of enemy forces alongside other mythical Battlemages, master three distinct types of power spells, and uncover the lost secrets and troubled history of your homeland. Can you rise to the challenge of this magical adventure? Play Immortals of Aveum today.Trepang2Like blood and bullets? Then Trepang2 is the game for you. This gory, fast-paced FPS never lets up, delivering relentless action at breakneck speed. The single-player narrative drops you into a mysterious blacksite with no memory of how you got there. Upon regaining consciousness, you realize something isoff. You now possess supernatural speed, the ability to become intangible, and stronger than a tankall bad news for the facilitys sinister security forces. Use your newfound powers to punch, kick, slide, and unleash devastating combos that obliterate enemiesor blast them to pieces with your arsenal of firearms!Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIESGet the complete Total War experience and wage war across the ancient world, from the Aegean Sea to Mesopotamia, in Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES. Build your dynasty and lead your troops to victory with one of the new playable factionsBabylon, Assyria, Mycenae, or Troy. Command your armies across 168 new settlements, conquer historical landmarks, and achieve new objectives spanning Mesopotamia to Egypt. Establish your royal lineage and grow your familys power with each generation through strategic marriages, assassinations, and pivotal, dynasty-defining events. Ready the camel cavalryits time for all-out war in Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES.FabledomSit back, relax, and get ready to build the city of your dreams in Fabledom. Explore the vibrant, wholesome fairytale land of Fabledoma world where pigs fly, giants play, and gnomes nap. Protect your growing community from raids by pesky trolls and other dangerous magical foes. Watch as your settlement flourishes and your subjects thrive in this delightful city builder where fairy tales come to life. Seek companionship and love by courting one of six neighboring rulers, unlocking unique quests and buildings for your kingdom through romantic diplomacy. How will you build and rule your fairytale kingdom in Fabledom?GriftlandsGriftlands delivers a captivating and distinctive atmosphere, setting itself apart from other deck-building roguelike games. Venture into the dark and perilous sci-fi world of Havaria, where quick thinking and sharp combat skills are essential for survival. Play as Sal, Rook, or Smith, each with their own unique deck of cards, abilities, and regions to explore. Engage in dynamic card-based gameplay, mastering hundreds of cards as you expand your collection by defeating grotesque monsters or earning rewards from missions and tasks. Every decision carries real consequences, so choose carefullybecause in Griftlands, you play for keeps.Tales & TacticsExperience a one-of-a-kind game that blends roguelike elements with approachable strategy and squad-based autobattling. Tales & Tactics is a single player adventure where you methodically strategize and compete in increasingly difficult battles to unluck better weapons, gear, and upgrades. Maneuver your character through The Grand Tournament, an annual in-world test of skill. Recruit and construct your own squad of dragons, ghouls, or even orcs with typical healer, mage, and duelists roles to fill. Use their growing powers to dominate your opponent and claim victory. Once youve mastered the single player tournament, you can take your skills to the next level with online duels too!Naheulbeuks Dungeon MasterYour mission, should you choose to accept it, is to build, manage, and laugh your way through Naheulbeuks Dungeon Master. This satirical and downright hilarious dungeon management simulator puts you in the role of Reivax, the bumbling steward of the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. Customize and defend your dungeon by recruiting citizens to fill your tavern, soldiers to bolster your army, and workers to keep your dungeons economy thriving. Manage the needs of your loyal minions and upgrade public amenities to enhance their workflow and boost satisfaction. In your downtime, raid neighboring dungeons and expand your domain until you rule all lands near and far. Dive into the goofy world of Naheulbeuk today!My Little UniverseYoure marooned on a distant moon with nothing but your tools, wit, and cosmic powers of creationand thats all you need! Immerse yourself in the cozy atmosphere, soothing soundtrack, and visually delightful world of My Little Universe. Defend your crashed ship from enemies, gather minerals to build, and befriend locals as you explore mythical landscapes and over 65 dungeons. Its up to you to restore the universe, repair your cosmic spaceship, and find your way home. Savor the journey and the friendships you forge along the way in My Little Universe!Februarys Featured Charity: United Negro College Fund (UNCF)This February, 5% of Humble Choice memberships will support UNCF (United Negro College Fund), an organization dedicated to empowering students and promoting educational equity. UNCF provides scholarships and various programs to support youth, and advocate for the importance of minority education and college readiness. By investing in education, UNCF helps shape a brighter future for underrepresented communities across the nation.Thanks for your incredible support, and we hope you enjoy February Choice!Get Humble Choice

Image: Electronic Arts (via Nintendo.com)Since the Switch 2 reveal, multiple game companies have voiced support for the new system and now it's EA's turn.During the third-party giant's latest earnings call, EA's CEO Andrew Wilson mentioned how the Switch successor would be another way for EA to find and access new players, with the next-generation hybrid hardware potentially giving IP like EA Sports FC, Madden, and "others" a real boost - at least, that's the expectation.Andrew Wilson: "Any time a new console comes into the marketplace, that's of a benefit to us. It gives us the ability to access and acquire new players. Typically, we've had franchises perform very well on Nintendo platforms. Certainly, our expectation is that products like FC and Madden and others might find real energy on the platform as they have done in the past."Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube795kWatch on YouTube Following his comment about franchises typically performing well on Nintendo platforms, Wilson noted the recent success of MySims Cozy Bundle (released on Switch last November) - stating how it's performed "well ahead" of EA's expectations."The Sims and MySims: Cozy Bundle, which performed well ahead of our expectations, 50% of all players were new to EA. That represents a great opportunity for us."So, it seems EA - like companies such as Microsoft (and seemingly Ubisoft) - are already locked in for the Switch 2. Phil Spencer: "We love the work that we do with Nintendo"Update: Ubisoft says it's in "love" with the Switch 2The Sim-ple lifeApart from EA's sports line, are there any other titles you would like to see from EA's library on Switch 2? Tell us your thoughts.[source ir.ea.com, via seekingalpha.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesEx-PlayStation Boss On Switch 2's Name: Nintendo Created So Much "Brand Value""Why would you mess with that?"Rumour: Switch 2 Game Cases Might Take Up More Space On Your ShelfHere's how they could compare to the current Switch casesSurprise! Capcom's First Showcase Of 2025 Is Airing Next Week"Join us for a 20-minute Capcom Spotlight"Mysterious Patent Hints At "Predictive Input" For Nintendo Switch 2Rollback netcode, but at a hardware level?

Brightpick, a maker of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), on Tuesday announced a lofty addition to its current line. The appropriately named Giraffe system is notable for its large, retractable platform capable of reaching up to 20 feet (6 meters) in height to pick items from warehouse shelves. Its a novel approach to warehouses with ceilings well out of the grasp of both standard AMRs and their human coworkers.Giraffe accomplishes the feat by way of a telescoping arm with three overlapping segments that measure 8.5 feet when fully stowed. Rather than constantly extending and retracting 11.5 feet at a time, the system is designed to work in tandem with the Kentucky companys existing Autopicker robot. That AMR, which sports two supply bins, meets the larger robot halfway by extending up to 11 feet.The system resembles the telescoping warehouse robots of the London-based outfit Dexory, though the latters DexoryView platform simply features sensors for scanning shelves. The Giraffe has the decidedly more difficult task of transferring the shelves contents.Dexorys primary competition for tall-shelf warehouse inventory are drone-based scanning startups like Gather AI, Verity, and Corvus. Actually lifting and moving payloads is, however, far too resource intensive for quadcopters, so they wont likely be infringing on Giraffes turf any time soon.A more apt comparison are the automated storage and retrieval systems offered by companies like AutoStore and Kardex. Their tightly-packed grid solutions are expensive to install, difficult to repair, and are generally less flexible with inventory sizes. Brightpicks order picking solution, on the other hand, features AMRs cruising around and retrieving inventory from more traditional warehouse shelves.BionicHive offers yet another solution in the form of its Squid systems, which ride on shelf-mounted tracks to retrieve inventory. Amazon invested in that Israeli robotics startup in 2022, as part of its Industrial Innovation Fund.In the rapidly automating warehouse and logistics world, theres plenty of room for a wide range of different form factors and solutions.Brightpick is rolling Giraffe out for two major customers in 2025. E-commerce retailer The Feedwill employ six Giraffes alongside 73 Autopickers at a Colorado facility. Medical supply firm McGuff Company is deploying a more modest four Giraffes and one dozen Autopickers at a warehouse in California.Brightpick claims the Giraffe/Autopicker combo allows for 3x the warehouse density of manual, human-based operations, while doubling its own existing solution.

Mini CrosswordNYTIn case you missed Tuesdays NYT Mini, you can find the answers here:The NYT Mini is a quick and dirty version of the newspaper's larger and long-running crossword. Most days, there are between three and five clues in each direction on a five by five grid, but the puzzles are sometimes larger, especially on Saturdays.Unlike its larger sibling, the NYT Mini crossword is free to play on the New York Times website or NYT Games app. However, youll need an NYT Games subscription to access previous puzzles in the archives.The NYT Mini is a fun daily distraction that usually takes no time at all. I try to beat the standard weekday grid in less than a minute. But sometimes I can't quite figure out one or two clues and need to reveal the answer.To help you avoid doing that, here are the NYT Mini Crossword answers (spoilers lie ahead, of course):MORE FOR YOUNYT Mini Crossword Clues And AnswersACROSS1) Facebook's parent company 5) Full-length skirts ... and a morning hour read backward 6) Written with pen 7) N.B.A. team that nearly renamed itself the Swamp Dragons in the 1990s 8) "___ a Wonderful Life"DOWN1) French modernist painter and a morning hour read backward 2) What lighted signs mark in theaters 3) Altoids containers 4) Pose a question 5) Short skirtNYT MiniNYT MiniWell, for starters, I definitely thought that MANET was MONET because I only know like four painters, and that did not pan out. I also learned a lot about skirts today that theres also a MAXI and not just a MINI version of it. I mean I knew long skirts existed, but I didnt know they were called that. I guess thats why we do puzzles like this, right?Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 05: General views of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine building on ... [+] September 05, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)GC ImagesHow do you create a healthcare company that is known for being superior on some critical dimension? Indeed, there are few examples where the practice brand is more valuable and important in driving patient decision-making than the doctor brand.Among the few exceptions are brands like MD Anderson Cancer Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, and the Mayo Clinic. Each brand has achieved ownership over distinct attributes that matter to patients. MD Anderson stands for superior cancer treatment. Barrow Neurological Institute finds new treatments for the most difficult neurological diseases. And the Mayo Clinic solves the unsolvable by assigning teams of multidisciplinary doctors to diagnose and deliver superior patient carea process that is rare in healthcare.To understand how a practice becomes a great healthcare brand, conveying superiority on some important dimension, I reached out to Leonard Berry, PhD, a University Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Regents Professor at the Texas A&M Mays Business School and a Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement.Dr. Berry has been studying healthcare for nearly 25 years, including spending time at the Mayo Clinic and co-authoring Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic with Kent Seltman. Below are his insights, including quotes from the book, regarding how the Mayo Clinic became an enduring world-class healthcare brand.The Mayo Clinic BrandGreat marketing doesnt start with an ad campaign or a message. Yet many nonmarketers think that the message is the driving force. As an example, whenever political parties find themselves on the wrong side of voter turnout, their reaction is to blame the message or the communication channel rather than the policy or ideology itself. Similarly, for many companies, when sales languish, they turn to advertising as the culprit and often fail to consider the core positioning (i.e., value creation) that the product or service creates.MORE FOR YOUBut great brand-building starts with a unique (relative to competitors) and relevant (for consumers) position in the marketplace that enables the brand to deliver excellence. In other words, a great brand starts by creating real, meaningful value on some dimension via product and/or service delivery. It isnt fluff. It isnt a message. While these elements matter, the heart of a superior brand is being able to create significant, meaningful value for the target consumers.When asked to summarize the Mayo brand, Dr. Berry indicates that the Mayo Clinic was founded over 150 years ago by the Mayo brothersDrs. William and Charles Mayo. They believed that better patient outcomes emerged from team-based care in which clinicians from different specialties pooled their expertise. The Mayo brothers never believed that one doctor should be expected to know all that there was to know in caring for patients with complex illnesses. The Mayo brothers also were dedicated learners, consistently traveling to observe and learn from doctors and experts in other parts of the world. They built their practice around research, learning, and working together to diagnose and solve patient problems. This belief drove the founders to establish an endowment to support medical research and education at Mayo Clinic in an effort to identify and deliver superior patient care.Dr. Berry indicates that what underscores Mayo is the integrated health system. Fragmentation is common in healthcare, with different doctors treating the same patient not coordinating their efforts. Conversely, Mayo operates like a department store of healthcare specialists who work together.. The book states (page 5) that Mayo Clinic thinks of itself as a three-shield organization. The central and larger shield in the Mayo Clinic logo represents patient care. But integrally linked to patient care are the complementary shields of medical research and medical education.A Truly Patient-First BrandWhen talking with Dr. Berry about the Mayo Clinic brand, there is a consistent emphasis on patient centricity. This is actually quite novel. While nearly all companies claim to be consumer- or patient-centric, the reality is that there is tremendous variance in the ability to deliver consumer centricity. Simply sit in on any C-level meeting and see how much time is centered on the consumer versus cost-cutting, financial reporting, efficiency-driving operations, and so forth. As an example, I share a conversation with a former C-level leader who currently sits on a number of Fortune 500 boards. The individual recounted their experience on one board where the word consumer did not come up once in the first board meeting. The board member shared their observation with the chair of the board, who claimed the company was deeply focused on creating value for consumers. The new board member expressed surprise because the emphasis of the board meeting was on creating financial value for the firm rather than creating value for consumers, which would then lead to a more sustainable version of firm-level financial value. At that moment, the chair grasped the concept of consumer-centricity, leading to a shift in future discussions and even in management staffing decisions.I highlight this distinction because being consumer-centric is often thrown around without any discipline or attention to developing strategies to create more unique, relevant value for consumers that strengthens the brand and business.To put the Mayo patient-centricity in perspective, consider the following quote from Dr. William Mayo in 1895: Above all things let me urge upon you the absolute necessity of careful examinations for the purpose of diagnosis. My own experience has been that the public will forgive you an error in treatment more readily than one in diagnosis, and I fully believe that more than one-half of the failures in diagnosis are due to hasty or unmethodical examinations (p. 16).When asked how a patient would experience a difference at Mayo versus another healthcare provider today, Dr. Berry indicated that there are a number of clues that signal patient-centricity.Mayo focuses on accuracy as a central priority. To increase accuracy, Mayo has implemented a plus-one system where all employees are empowered to leverage peers, superiors, and other experts to diagnose accurately. This is not hidden from patients but rather is observed by them. The patient witnesses and sees the coordination between doctorssomething that patients are not used to seeing anyplace else. They see the clinician huddles in the hallway talking about a patient. Or, a patient may observe one physician calling another physician to discuss the case in front of the patient. This reinforces the department store of doctors across different specialties coming together to diagnose and deliver care.Patients observe unhurried care. A hallmark of the Mayo Clinic is that they take their time with the patient and dont rush. Patients experience and observe something you rarely see anymoreunhurried care. A typical doctors visit today at other healthcare facilities can last 8 to 12 minutes, where the patient feels an anxious sense of urgency. Superior patient care cant feel like this.Patients encounter an elevated service experience. Mayo pools talent to work as a team to address patient needs and deliver service. A story from the book illuminates how a doctor was pulled into a patients room by a staff member, something that typically isnt done at other practices with an emphasis on hierarchy.A Macro View of the Different Types of CluesIn the book, Berry references Carbone and Haeckels (1994) three types of clues. These general signal categories are present throughout the Mayo Clinic brand. The first type is a mechanic clue, or inanimate, sensorial element that includes the sights, sounds, smells, and facility design. Berry highlights how Mayo takes great care in the design, architecture, and environment in which it operates: The space matters because it reinforces the direct medical experience. How a patient feels when they first walk into a Mayo Clinic can help them feel like they are being cared for by the best. It signals attention to detail, respect for the patient and their experience, and recognizes that although patients may have to wait for an appointment, they should wait in a comfortable setting.The second type of clue is a functional clue." This is the technical quality of the service delivered and is essential for meeting expectations. The Mayo Clinics brand rests on solving, through integrated care, the most challenging of cases. All of the research and investment in developing new procedures, processes, systems, and approaches is designed to ensure that the core functioning of the enterprise remains superior. At the time Berry wrote the book, Mayo Clinic had over 7000 active research projects designed to improve patient experience and outcomes. Mayos Plus-One approach meant that doctors and staff were constantly observing and discussing patient care. Berry described this as practicing medicine in a fishbowl doctors are especially well-trained at Mayo due to the extent to which they learn from each other, resulting from team-based observation, review, and consultation.The third type is a humanic clue. These are the ways in which service providers show upfrom their appearance to their behavior. These clues are critical for exceeding expectations and can provide patients with a feeling of being exceptionally cared for. Every interaction a patient has across the Mayo enterprise serves to create a gestalt of how the patient is cared for.Final Thoughts On The Building of a Great BrandThe Mayo brothers had a singular value: The needs of the patient come first. This value drove them to create a differentiated and deeply compelling position in the marketplacethe first integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice in the worldthat, as a result, has become one of the largest healthcare practices globally (page 4). It is anchored on the desire to more accurately diagnose and solve the toughest conditions through cooperative and integrative care. By creating processes, systems, culture, and an ecosystem of research, training, and development that supports this unique position, the result has been that people from around the world turn to Mayo Clinic for help. As the Mayo Clinic demonstrates, sustainably superior brands identify and then deliver exceptional value in ways that no other organization can.Join the Discussion: @KimWhitler

The cost of streaming services is getting out of hand. The more streaming services on the market, the more money consumers pay every month to watch their favorite television shows. Streaming was supposed to be an alternative to cable. Now, cable is almost the cheaper option, especially if you have to pay monthly subscriptions to multiple streamers.While not considered a top streaming service, YouTube has one major advantage over services like Netflix and Max. YouTube offers an eclectic selection of TV shows at no cost. One of the free TV shows to watch this month isAlaskan Bush People, an intriguing reality series set in the wilderness. Check out the rest of our guide below.Recommended VideosCheck out the best new shows to stream, the best shows on Netflix,the best movies on Amazon Prime, the best movies on Disney+, and the best free movies on YouTube. For more free content, check out the best free movies on YouTube, 10 great free sci-fi movies you should stream, and 10 great free action movies you should stream right now.Recently added to YouTubeAlaskan Bush Peopletv-142014Pee-wee's Playhousetv-pg1986The Addams Familytv-g1964RelatedEditors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsNot Like Us Kendrick LamarShort n Sweet Sabrina CarpenterChappell RoanAll Born Screaming St. VincentThe Architect Kacey MusgravesAwards season is a great time to reflect on the previous year and either catch up on what we might have missed, or re-appreciate something thats fallen out of our regular listening playlist. (Its also a time to say Hell, yeah! to winners that take the opportunity to speak out against injustices within the industry. Way to be, Chappell Roan.) Many of the well-deserving songs and albums are available in a Dolby Atmos mix still waiting for Cowboy Carter to show up with the Atmos badge on any streaming service, though. Here are some of Sundays award winning music that can be found in Dolby Atmos through Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal.Not Like Us Kendrick LamarOn the surface, it might not feel like a diss track would be an award contender, but when its by Kendrick Lamar, voters take notice. And rightly so. The track took home all five awards it was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. The Atmos mix isnt a huge departure from the stereo mix, mostly expanding the soundscape and giving more space for the sonic elements with more reverb while keeping everything primarily in the front channels.Recommended VideosShort n Sweet Sabrina CarpenterBoth Sabrina Carpenters albumShort n Sweet and the singleEspresso picked up awards at the Grammys last weekend Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, respectively. The entire album is available in Atmos, and much of it takes advantage of Atmos (I particularly like the opening piano lick in the final track,Dont Smile, that nicely captures the in-room sound of the piano hammers and string resonance in the rear height channels). Award-winnerEspresso, a fun pop bop, throws elements into unexpected areas that support the fun playfulness of the music and lyrics.RelatedIn addition to Sabrina Carpenters version ofEspresso, theEspresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix) also won for Best Remix and is available in Dolby Atmos as well.Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording AcademyChappell Roan didnt win directly for her excellent album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, instead nabbing the Best New Artist Grammy. Shes had a meteoric rise since the albums release at the end of 2023, and the Atmos mix does a great job of surrounding you with music, particularly with her background vocals that utilize the back and height channels instead of just using them for atmospheric reverb.All Born Screaming St. VincentI previously called outAll Born Screaming as one of my favorite Atmos releases of 2024, and it seems the Grammys agreed, awarding Annie Clark (who goes by St. Vincent professionally) Best Alternative Music Album forAll Born Screaming, Best Rock Song for its first single, Broken Man, and Best Alternative Music Performance for Flea. Repeating what Ive said before, the self-produced album is a sonically diverse journey through a multitude of emotions. The winning single,Broken Man, is (in the words of Clark) an industrial menacing rock track that systematically builds in intensity throughout.The Architect Kacey MusgravesThe Atmos mix for Best Country Song winner,The Architect, is as subtle and gentle as the performance, and takes the idea of atmosphere to heart. Acoustic guitars generally live to the sides, supported by banjo and keyboards that spread into height channels, while Kacey Musgraves vocals occupy the front of the soundstage and subtly move to fill the space depending on the instrumentation.Additional Grammy 2025 album and song winners to listen to in Dolby Atmos are:Alligator Bites Never Heal Doechii (Best Rap Album)BRAT Charli xcx (Best Dance/Electronic Album; Best Dance Pop Recording for Von dutch)Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Shakira (Best Latin Pop Album)Hackney Diamonds The Rolling Stones (Best Rock Album)Visions Norah Jones (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)Trail of Flowers Sierra Ferrell (Best Americana Album; Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Performance forAmerican Dreaming; Best American Roots Performance forLighthouse)LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN Residente (Best Msica Urbana Album)11:11 (Deluxe) Chris Brown (Best R&B Album)Neverender Justice & Tame Impala (Best Dance/Electronic Recording)Now and Then The Beatles (Best Rock Performance)Thats You Lucky Daye (Best Traditional R&B Performance)3:AM Rapsody Feat. Erykah Badu (Best Melodic Rap Performance)Editors Recommendations

Australia issued a statement that requires all government entities to prevent the access, use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services on Australian government systems and mobile devices.

USAID announced nearly all staff will be put on administrative leave starting Friday at midnight.There will be exceptions for some mission-critical functions and core leadership.Elon Musk said he spent the weekend feeding the agency "into the wood chipper."The US Agency for International Development, or USAID, will place nearly all of its direct-hire workforce on administrative leave starting Friday at midnight, according to an email sent to staff on Tuesday evening and posted on the agency's website."On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally," the email stated, noting there would be exceptions for "designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs." Those deemed essential will be notified by Thursday afternoon.For international staff, the agency plans to coordinate with the State Department to arrange return travel to the US within 30 days and terminate non-essential contracts. The email indicated employees could request exceptions for personal circumstances like medical issues, pregnancy, or children's school schedules.The announcement follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio's January 24 pause on new funding authorizations and Monday's sudden closure of USAID's Washington offices. On early Monday morning, Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, posted on X that he "spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper."The changes will reshape an agency that manages about 0.47% of the federal budget in fiscal year 2024 and oversees humanitarian programs across 65 countries, including emergency food assistance and medical services in some of the world's poorest regions."I feel oddly OK. Like they don't have it together and won't any time soon," a 15-year veteran of the agency told Business Insider shortly after the email was sent. "They don't know what the plan is for USAID or State, and are seemingly taking pride in dismantling global aid when so many people depend on us worldwide for lifesaving services. They are doing nothing but creating more and bigger global security problems."USAID, the State Department, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from BI.