Authorities say 24 people died and between 23 and 25 children are missing from a girls camp after severe flash floods in Central Texas.

The big picture: The catastrophic flooding happened early Friday morning in an area about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio after the Guadalupe River surged following heavy rainfall.

The latest: Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during a news conference Friday night that 24 people were confirmed dead.

• Officials said more than 230 people were rescued or evacuated, most by helicopter, throughout Friday.

Zoom in: The river surged to as high 26 feet in just 45 minutes and reached nearly 30 feet in some areas, washing out roads, authorities said.

• "The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never" in any forecasts, said chief Nim Kidd of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
• The floods came so fast even an emergency vehicle was swept away, officials said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during a news conference Friday afternoon that Camp Mystic had more than 700 kids and began evacuating overnight.

What they're saying: "Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States," Kerry County Judge Rob Kelly said when asked why campsites weren't evacuated Thursday night.

• Patrick said officials would do "everything humanly possible" to find the missing girls, adding Texas officials have been in touch with the White House.
• Gov. Greg Abbott, who on Friday night declared a state of disaster, called the event an "extraordinary catastrophe" and vowed to continue providing resources until everyone is accounted for.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and has been updated with new information.

• Amazon Prime Day has competition from a list of other retailers, from Walmart to Dollar General.
• Some rivals are offering longer sales or starting their discounts ahead of Prime Day.
• It's a chance for other retailers to challenge Amazon's dominance, one analyst said.

What used to be one of the sleepiest times of year for retailers has turned into a major shopping event thanks to Amazon.

Amazon's Prime Day this year will last four days between July 8 and 11 — longer than it has run before, and the earliest that the sale has started.

A range of other retailers, from Dollar General to REI, are also offering sales that coincide with or start earlier than Prime Day.

Fourth-of-July sales for products, such as mattresses or seasonal items like lawnmowers and inflatable pools, have been around longer than Prime Day. Overall, though, early summer was historically a slow time for retail.

"July used to be the dog days of summer when people didn't spend that much," said Zak Stambor, senior analyst of retail and e-commerce at EMARKETER, which shares an owner with Business Insider.

Prime Day, which Amazon first hosted in 2015, changed that.

Now, "July is a time that consumers are conditioned to be on the hunt for deals," Stambor said. "Every retailer needs to respond and lean into that."

Best Buy, Dollar General, and other retailers are getting in on the action

Besides Prime Day, this year's sales lineup includes a seven-day Fourth of July sale from Best Buy. Like Amazon, Best Buy is offering deals on electronics to members of its paid loyalty programs. Best Buy's sale lasts three days longer than Prime Day, though. It also started on Monday, over a week ahead of Prime Day.

Dollar General is planning its own "7 Days of Savings" event, which starts on July 6. The dollar store's discounts for the sale are more limited than Amazon's, with one deal per day, such as a discount on a fan or a buy-one, get-one deal on bratwurst.

Walmart and Target, which have offered their own sales around Prime Day in years past, are also getting in on the action again. Walmart's sale, for example, will start on July 8 and run for six days. Members of Walmart+, the big box store's paid membership, will get early access to deals.

Department store Kohl's, outdoor gear retailer REI, and home improvement chain Lowe's are also among the stores offering Fourth-of-July and other sales around the same time as Prime Day this year.

Amazon may have drawn inspiration from its rivals for its longer Prime Day, Stambor said. Last year, when Prime Day was two days long, Walmart's sale was twice as long.

"Amazon can see that those events have resonated, and so why not hop in the pool and join them?" Stambor said.

All those deals could be welcome this year as consumers watch their spending closely and worry about prices going up due to tariffs. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on many of the tariffs that he enacted in April expires on July 9, the second day of Prime Day.

Amazon still has an edge over many other retailers when it comes to conveniences like fast delivery and value, Stambor said. And marquee sales events like Prime Day allow Amazon to increase its market share in the long run.

Rival retailers' sales are also a chance for them to win over customers.

"What is their unique value proposition that will drive consumers to buy from them rather than just go to Amazon or Walmart?" Stambor said.

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Happy Fourth! Your cookout's soundtrack may sound a little bland this season since there's no song of the summer. Waaaah! Here's why there's no new bops.

While you're here, subscribe to Defense Flash, BI's new guide to the latest innovations in military strategy, defense tech, and more delivered right to your inbox every week.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Poolside page turners

After the cookout, and the party, and the drinking, and the water play, you'll be yearning for some quiet time. And if you're like me, that means curling up with a good book.

There are plenty of old and new summer reads to make you forget about going back to work next week. I asked six of our editors at Business Insider what their favorite reads are. Here's what they said:

Jamie Heller, Editor in Chief: I just finished "The Bee Sting" by Paul Murray, and I mostly couldn't put it down! In this family saga set in Ireland, Murray develops consuming characters and keeps you in suspense, all with a writing style that's distinct but also easy to follow and enjoy. I highly recommend it!

Bartie Scott, Deputy Editor, Economy: "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett makes a great summer read with its whirlwind romance and heartwarming mother-daughter dynamics. While the material is sweet and whimsical, Patchett's writing is high quality, and if audiobooks are more your style — or if you're picky about narrators — it's worth knowing that Meryl Streep reads this one.

Bryan Erickson, Executive Creative Director: I am rereading "Capote's Women" by Laurence Leamer because much like the series, "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," once was not enough. I identify with Truman's scarf-wearing escapism, and am slightly obsessed with the NYC that came before me.

Paige DiFiore-Wohr, Deputy Editor, Freelance: If you're looking for a suspenseful, twist-filled story about friendship, betrayal, and redemption, "The Drowning Woman" by Robyn Harding is the book for you. The story follows a once-successful restaurant owner who's now living out of her car as she encounters a rich socialite who's about to change her life. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. I finished this thriller in less than a day.

Tracy Connor, Standards Editor: I devoured "Pineapple Street" by Jenny Jackson by the side of a pool last summer, relishing every twist in the tale of a rich New York City family grappling with relationship, parenting, and personal problems. It's a modern and sharper version of the delicious epics I used to sneak from my parents' bedstand in the 1970s.

Joe Ciolli, Executive Editor, Markets and Investing: "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad is a compelling look at how independent musicians forged their careers in the pre-internet era. Thirteen chapters dive into 13 bands who developed crucial networks for the music and touring industries we know today. I don't even like most of the bands, but it's still the best music book I've ever read.

BI may earn a commission if you purchase through our links.

The BI Today team: Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• Gen Z employees are learning what they shouldn't say at work amid a generational language barrier.
• Words like "rizz" and "crashout" have found their way into office lingo for younger workers.
• An HR professional told BI that Gen Z should be mindful when bringing new sayings to the workplace. 

It can be challenging to keep up with all of the slang your Gen Z coworkers use.

Employees who are part of Generation Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are introducing coworkers to a variety of new phrases in the workplace.

The new generation of workers is bringing their personalities into the office, and thus, their jargon.

"We now take our work home readily and easily, basically in our pockets with our phones," Carrie Bulger, an industrial-organizational psychologist at Quinnipiac University, told Business Insider's Emily Stewart in June. "The lines are blurred no matter what. Why wouldn't they blur in the other direction as well?"

Ultimately, Gen Z wants to be understood in the office. Four out of 10 Gen Zers say their primary job is central to their identities, coming in second to their friends and family, according to a 2025 Deloitte survey of more than 14,000 adult-aged Gen Z professionals. The same survey found that clear communication is important to them.

As more young people come into the working world, one Gen Z worker suggested that they use some caution.

Kevon Martin, a 25-year-old human resources coordinator, told BI there's a time and a place for slang.

"Older colleagues can benefit from being more adaptable and relatable to their younger coworkers, so they know how to appeal to a younger consumer base," Martin said. "However, Gen Z must also recognize you can't come to work and use whatever slang words you'd use with each other because it's not the same environment."

Below is a list of phrases a Gen Z colleague might use and what they (usually) mean. While some of these phrases originated from Black and LGBTQ+ creators, they are wide-ranging in their origins and references.

Chokehold

When you can't get enough of an item, person, or idea, one might say that it has you "in a chokehold." For example, the restaurant you frequent for lunch could have you in a chokehold if you visit every day.

Crash out or crashout

"Crash out," as a verb, essentially means to respond dramatically to something. When a person is at their wits' end or a stressful event occurs, they may crash out by yelling, crying, or some other over-the-top response.

For example, getting in trouble at work may prompt your coworker to crash out by being really upset about it.

If they respond to such events with that sort of behavior often, they can be labeled a "crashout."

IJBOL

Think of "IJBOL" as a more intense acronym than "LOL" that's more work-appropriate than "LMAO."

It stands for, "I just burst out laughing," and it's the way a Gen Zer might let you know they found something funny or cringe. It's unclear who coined the acronym, but it can be used sincerely to express that you're laughing or ironically to demonstrate how chronically online you are.

Rizz

It's short for charisma. Someone with "rizz" is a smooth talker who knows how to navigate conversations like a pro. Those with "zero rizz" are awkward or have poor conversation skills.

Aura

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, aura is defined as "an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being," and Gen Zers on TikTok have not transformed that meaning much.

Everyone has aura, but the kind your young coworker might be referring to represents someone's swagger, cool points, or some undefinable X-factor that makes them intriguing.

Someone who demonstrates an impressive skill or unmatched "rizz" might gain aura points. Meanwhile, someone who does something embarrassing might lose them. If you're constantly in awkward situations, you might be labeled as someone with negative aura points.

Roman Empire

The "Roman Empire" trend began online when someone asked, "How often do men think about the Roman Empire?" Cue viral videos of women asking their dads, husbands, and brothers how often the ancient society crosses their minds. The answer: more than you'd think.

As sayings do, the phrase "Roman Empire" has transformed to mean a topic or scenario that someone can't stop thinking about. In one TikTok, a Garage Clothing employee said that Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce's relationship is their Roman Empire.

Ick

The term "ick" has long been used to describe something gross or unpleasant, but it has taken on a new meaning thanks to a current trend on TikTok. At first, "give me the ick" was used by Gen Zers to refer to traits or habits that turned them off from a person they're dating, but now many are sharing "icks" in all aspects of life.

In December, a group of Atlanta-based nurses was publicly ridiculed for sharing their "icks" about patients in a TikTok video. The caption read "Icks, Labor & Delivery (Edition)," and the video featured multiple nurses sharing things they didn't like about patients.

The employees appear to have since lost their jobs, based on an apology posted to Facebook by Emory Healthcare, which referred to them as "former employees."

Stories, like those of the hospital workers, may give young people pause when considering more casual behavior around the office. But Martin told BI it can work if executed appropriately — and not disparagingly — in an environment of open communication between colleagues of multiple generations. 

Naur

Simply put, "naur" means no or know. It is a more dramatic way of saying "no" or "know" and sounds like "no" with an Australian accent. 

Slay

To "slay" anything means someone is doing an exceptional job at their work or a task at hand. 

Understood the assignment

If a coworker says this, they mean a task has been completed exactly as it was meant to be done.

Say less

A shortened version of "say no more." It's used when you completely agree or understand what someone has just said.

Unserious

This is a more fun way of saying that something or someone is ridiculous or cannot be taken seriously.

L or W

Although referring to wins and losses as "Ws" or "Ls" probably didn't start with Gen Z, the youngsters do like to use it to describe a positive or negative experience. 

Your colleague might tell you your opinion is an "L take" if they disagree with you.

• Google engineer Aashna Doshi says that strategic networking helped land internships that led to a full-time job.
• To distinguish herself from the pack, she showcased her skills with independent projects, Doshi told BI.
• When you finally have a foot in the door, do your best to become a reliable "go-to" person, she added.

It's just not enough to cold apply for tech jobs anymore, said Aashna Doshi, a two-time intern turned software engineer at Google. To land a spot at a tech giant, you need to be networking "intentionally."

"Knowing who you want to meet, finding that common bridge between both of you, and then really learning from their experience, was a big game changer for me," Doshi told Business Insider.

Doshi suggests reaching out not only to people whose career paths you'd like to emulate, but also those with whom you share common ground, including similar personal experiences.

"I was talking to a bunch of people, and saw this software engineer who was working out of Europe, and was super inspired by her story," she said. "She was also a woman. I love to see other women in tech and also, she's European. I grew up in Belgium, so that's kind of my connecting point to her."

A foot in the door

While Doshi ended up getting a referral from the engineer in Europe, she said she wasn't initially thinking of asking for one.

Reaching out because you're genuinely interested in someone's trajectory, she added, has twofold benefits — you're likely to learn more from a less stilted conversation, and the connection you make could last throughout your career.

"I reached out to her to learn more about her story, not like, 'Hey, can I get a referral at Google?'" she said. "I actually didn't even have any intention of asking her for this internship referral, but we became friends and she let me into her life, which is what her day-to-day looks like, how she grows in the role that she's in."

Remembering that professional connections, like any relationship, are two-way streets, also goes a long way towards helping them endure, Doshi added.

"As we move and progress in our life, the way in which I think about it is, we are collecting people, and we are supporting people," she said. "And the people that will come all the way through will be the ones that you have formed a genuine bond with. If you ask someone for a referral and they give it to you, I mean, that's well and good, but five years down the line, 10 years down the line, they might not even remember who you are."

If you can't get an internship, complete a project

Since you're likely to be taking similar classes as your competition, it's what you do with that knowledge that can make you stand out, Doshi said.

Projects are the "one thing that I will say again and again and again for any student," she said.

The Google engineer partly credits her success in securing an internship to the projects she developed in her downtime.

"This is the way you can set yourself apart from 1000 other people, because if you take data structures and algorithms, and your peers take data structures and algorithms, you all have the same foundational knowledge that you are building," she told BI. "But what you do with that knowledge, what you do with the data structures and algorithms, really, really makes a difference."

There's no pressure to specialize in a niche skillset right out of the gate to impress potential employers, either, Doshi said. What you're really aiming for is a broad knowledge base and a flexible personality.

"They don't expect you to come in with tons and tons of experience," she said. "They actually care about more — can you think in a specific way, and given a situation changes, are you able to adapt to that? More than doing like 700 LeetCode questions and getting those exactly right, I tried to do more problem solving in adaptive sense."

Becoming a 'go-to' person

If and when you finally do land an internship, the challenge then becomes securing a full-time return offer.

In Doshi's case, she did her best to become integral to the teams she was placed on — being a point person for a particular issue can help you be more memorable, as well as slowly build a positive reputation with senior employees.

"If they have a bug, and they trust you enough to be like, 'Oh, Aashna, you've done something like this before. Why don't you take this up?'" she said. "That is not just giving you work. It's, 'Oh, we trust you to take something like this up.' So being that person they can trust, being that go-to person, is an absolute game changer."

Doshi also cautions interns against self-isolating. You're not expected to know everything, and shouldn't try to act like you do.

"As an intern, you are coming in with, as everyone knows, less experience than the rest of the team. The intention is to show progress," she said, adding, "The key lies in asking the right questions. A lot of people say there are no wrong questions, etc, etc. Maybe there are no wrong questions, but there are questions that are better than others, in my opinion."

Knowing how to ask for help can be just as important as knowing when — Doshi suggests presenting your questions in a way that shows you've attempted to solve the problem on your own first.

"Do your due diligence before that, which means if you're stuck, ask the right person for help," she said. "I'm going to explain that I already tried to do X, Y, Z, and it didn't work. How do I move forward?"

The goal of an internship is, after all, to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Try to avoid letting your fear of looking lost halt your progress, she added.

"So this kind of framework really accelerated my learnings, because I wasn't wasting hours and hours on something that absolutely I didn't understand or didn't work," she said. "And while I wasn't spending those hours, I still did my due diligence, which is, do my research, look through the code base."

• Some of the best-selling EVs are about to become a lot more expensive.
• Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" eliminates the $7,500 tax credit for new electric cars.
• Here are the 20 electric and hybrid vehicles that qualify for the $7,500 discount.

President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" is about to make EVs even more expensive.

On Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed Trump's tax and spending bill, and in doing so, killed the $7,500 tax credit for new, US-made electric vehicles.

Trump signed the bill into law on Friday, meaning that the tax incentive will end on September 30th.

Auto industry experts have previously warned that removing the $7,500 credit will make EVs even more unaffordable, and there are already signs that some automakers are starting to adjust their prices.

Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup Slate Auto quietly removed the "under $20,000" expected price tag for its upcoming electric pickup truck from its website this week. The company had previously said it expected the customizable pickup to qualify for federal tax incentives.

20 electric and hybrid vehicles currently benefit from the $7,500 tax credit, according to the US Department of Energy's website — but for buyers looking to snap them up before the discount goes away, there are a couple of important caveats.

For starters, not every version of those vehicles meets the criteria for the tax incentive.

Some are limited to specific model years and trims. For example, only the 2026 version of the Hyundai IONIQ 9 qualifies for the tax credit.

There is also a max retail price limit of $80,000 for vans, SUVs, and pickups, and $55,000 for all other vehicles.

In addition, the credit is only available to buyers with an adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less, although the limit extends to $300,000 for married couples filing jointly and $225,000 for heads of households.

There is also a separate federal tax credit of up to $4,000 for used EVs and hybrids, which applies to a much wider range of vehicles, but that will also come to an end in September once Trump signs the bill into law.

Every EV that qualifies for the $7,500 tax credit

• Acura ZDX
• Cadillac LYRIQ
• Cadillac OPTIQ
• Cadillac VISTIQ
• Chevrolet Blazer
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Chrysler Pacifica (hybrid)
• Ford F150 Lightning
• Genesis Electrified GV70
• GMC Sierra
• Honda Prologue
• Hyundai IONIQ 5
• Hyundai IONIQ 9
• Jeep Wagoneer S
• Kia EV6
• Kia EV9
• Tesla Cybertruck
• Tesla Model 3
• Tesla Model X
• Tesla Model Y

• Business Insider recently spent a night aboard a US Navy destroyer sailing from England to France.
• Our reporter got an inside look at daily life for sailors on USS Thomas Hudner.
• Sailors explained what they like about being on the ship, as well as some of the challenges.

ENGLISH CHANNEL — About a year and a half before Business Insider stepped aboard the US Navy destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, the ship was battling hostile drones in the Red Sea. Kill marks can be seen painted on the warship, which recently found itself again wrapped up in the violence in the Middle East.

BI's stay aboard the powerful warship at the tail end of May and into June was significantly quieter by comparison.

The roughly 24 hours spent aboard the Thomas Hudner as the ship crossed the English Channel from England to France to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion offered a glimpse into what life is like for the warship's sailors as they handle missions while grappling with the grind of daily Navy life.

Setting sail, two tugboats pulled the 500-foot-long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer away from the pier and into a crowded harbor. Sailors in their dress blues stood manning the rails as people on the shore looked on with great interest.

Getting the warship underway at Portsmouth was a whole-of-ship effort, with sailors from the bridge to the combat information center and from the flight deck at the stern to the bow all playing a role.

Cmdr. Cameron Ingram, Thomas Hudner's commanding officer, told me that each of the 300-plus sailors aboard has a "vitally important" job keeping the ship operating smoothly.

"We're one big complex machine, and I am just a single component within it," he said. "A ship needs a captain, yes. But a ship needs lookouts, and a ship needs folks to do laundry, a ship needs people to do maintenance on weapons systems and damage control systems, and to stand watches."

"As much as the crew needs me to do my job, I need them to do their jobs every single day, because I cannot do my job if they aren't doing theirs," Ingram added.

Dinner that evening came early and consisted of pizza, pasta, and Brussels sprouts. I ate with officers in the wardroom, where the World War II film "Saving Private Ryan" was playing on a TV in the background.

Considering the purpose of the destroyer's voyage across the English Channel, the famous Steven Spielberg movie was a fitting choice. It's recognized as one of the most realistic portrayals of the Allied invasion of Normandy ever recreated in film, capturing the horrors of the daring operation to secure the foothold needed to break Nazi Germany. The warship I was on was churning the same waters that the massive D-Day fleet had sailed 81 years earlier, thousands never to return home.

Following dinner, the ship's skipper delivered a lengthy announcement over the ship's announcing system praising the crew and offering a preview of the coming D-Day events. He ended the broadcast by playing a song over the loudspeaker from the musical "Les Misérables," a nod to the visit to France.

I spent the evening wandering around the ship, observing sailors as they did their jobs and listening to them talk about life on the destroyer and in the Navy in general.

Life aboard a destroyer is demanding. Sailors operate in tight quarters, sharing berthing spaces and working long hours to keep up ship operations. Daily routines center on watch rotations in areas like the bridge, CIC, and engineering spaces to ensure the vessel stays mission-ready.

Despite the challenges, such as limited personal space and time away from family, sailors value bonds with crewmates, the service and sense of purpose, the resilience fostered aboard the ship, and the opportunity to travel.

"I've been all over the world," Petty Officer 1st Class Anna Watson, who manages the computer infrastructure for the ship's combat systems, shared. She came to Thomas Hudner, a ship homeported in Mayport, Fla., from the Navy's 7th Fleet, the command that oversees the Indo-Pacific region.

"I've been to Japan, Thailand, South Korea — places like that — and now I get to see Europe," she said.

"Definitely one of the benefits of being in the Navy, and being on a ship in the Navy, is you get to see most of the world. So that's pretty cool."

Some sailors BI spoke with that night pointed to the opportunities for professional growth that come with a deployment and working on a ship.

Chief Petty Officer Olaf Sampson, the head electrician, said being in the Navy and serving on a deployed warship is "a great stepping stone for young people to get into," where they can establish independence and learn a skill or trade.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Aiden Grimes, who works with the warship's embarked helicopters, finds the problem-solving aspect of his job very appealing. "You don't have a lot of people to go to, so you have to figure it out yourself, and I like doing that," he said.

Lt. John Wacker, who flies an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, has previously deployed with a littoral combat ship and a cruiser, but this was his first time doing so on a destroyer, which he described as the "main force" of the Navy's fleet; the service has 74 DDGs, the most of any ship class. He said it was "cool" to watch how the crew operates on the ship.

The experience isn't easy, though. Deployments mean months away from family and friends, with port visits few and far between. And the requirements and scheduling can also change on a dime and give way to a high tempo of operations that can be stressful.

In the fall of 2023, for instance, the Thomas Hudner became one of the first American warships to engage in combat against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who had just started their attacks on Israel and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

Those battles marked the start of a prolonged campaign for the Navy, which sent multiple aircraft carriers and warships, like Thomas Hudner, to the Middle East to fend off Houthi attacks. The Pentagon even extended some deployments, putting additional stress on crews with a difficult mission.

More recently, not long after the ship participated in D-Day events in France, the Thomas Hudner was dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean along with four other destroyers to help shield Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks. The Navy warships collectively scored multiple interceptions.

The Houthi and Iranian engagements underscore the need for sailors to always be ready for the possibility of a new mission. That high state of readiness, however, can take its toll. Military roles come with different pressures compared to life in the civilian world.

When it came time to rest that night on the destroyer, I retreated to the stateroom I had been assigned, which resembled a small command center with a pull-out bed and an en suite bathroom. It was my second time spending the night on a Navy ship. Last year, I embarked overnight on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a Red Sea combat deployment.

The room was on the colder side, and I didn't sleep more than about an hour, though that had more to do with my insomnia than anything else. Without WiFi or cell service, I played games on my phone just to pass the time until breakfast, which was pancakes, eggs, corned beef hash, and a few much-needed cups of coffee

After breakfast, I made my way up to the ship's bridge to watch as we approached the scenic French coastline and my final stop, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. The destroyer sailed slowly into the port, accompanied by tugboats, and methodically pulled up alongside the pier.

The following process of dropping the anchor and using the massive lines to secure the destroyer in place — the reverse of what the crew did in Portsmouth — was as intricate and lengthy as it was in England. It involves tough, manual labor, but for some, that's part of the appeal of serving on a ship.

"There's also something kind of majestic, if you will, about pushing a gigantic piece of iron war machinery through the water," shared Chief Petty Officer Chris Miller, who is responsible for the destroyer's self-defense systems. "It takes a lot to make this thing move, and there are a lot of moving pieces to it."

"It's very intricate in design and very sophisticated, but it's also very powerful," he added, summing up his thoughts with: "It's awesome."

• A new $500 membership service allows patients to skip the doctor's office and get their own labs.
• Function Health then gives people nutrition and supplement advice, and encourages retesting.
• I found the extra data interesting, but ultimately needed a doctor to properly interpret it.

The Rock loves it, Zac Efron invests in it, and Equinox gym members are signing up for it in droves. Function Health is the latest hot commodity for longevity seekers looking to optimize their health.

The promise is simple: skip the waiting room at the doctor's office and head straight to the lab, for comprehensive medical testing that evaluates the health of key organs, like your heart and kidneys.

Function also measures some things that "regular" doctors typically don't, like electrolyte levels as well as the so-called "heavy metals" — lead, mercury — potentially poisonous substances that can sometimes lurk in our air, water, and food. It might even find cancer.

I wanted to see what all the big buzz was about with this $500 annual blood-and-pee testing service, so I tried it out. Disclaimer: I didn't have to pay for it, because Function Health gave out free trials to journalists as the company is still in beta testing mode.

In the end, my Function results led me to seek out more advice from doctors than I usually would, to help me separate the signal from the noise in all the data.

I freaked out about all the little cholesterol particles hiding out in my blood

The good news is that Function is not a huge time suck. It takes about 15 minutes to get the initial testing done and you can roll up to just about any Quest Diagnostics lab location nationwide (except in Hawaii and Rhode Island).

Their tests measure over 90 different biomarkers in your blood and urine, including almost all the typical stuff you'd find in a doctor's office (except STD testing). Function performed roughly three times the number of tests I had done the last time I went to the doctor's office for routine bloodwork. There were more measurements related to hormones, key nutrients, my metabolism, and heart health. Function Health also measured my "biological age," a scientifically squishy indicator of health and fitness.

With so many tests being run, there's a good chance that something you measure when you do Function will come back abnormal. That doesn't always mean there's something wrong with you; sometimes your own "normal" doesn't fit neatly into a given reference range.

Function is OK with having a few errant flags in the data, and encourages re-testing any out of range labs. Their ethos is the more information, the better. It's about creating a more detailed picture of your overall health, not making sure each test is perfect every time.

People are "wanting to know more about their biology, and to be advocates for their own health," Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the founders of Function Health, told Business Insider.

Hyman, a longtime friend of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chalks it up "to disillusionment with healthcare in general" in the US. Hyman says many people who use Function's tests may be able to resolve their own health concerns without ever seeing a doctor afterwards.

"While you'll need to see a doctor for certain things, the beauty of Function is you come in, follow up, order follow up tests on yourself, and then you can follow the guidance," Hyman said.

His venture dovetails with the rise of new tech promising to put you in the driver's seat of your own health. Think wearables (rings, watches, glucose monitors) and concierge medicine (full body MRIs, anti-aging IV drips). As the personalized medicine industry booms, Function is taking off. The company says its membership has more than doubled since December, to more than 200,000 customers.

I ended up overanalyzing my results, and coming to some pretty silly conclusions

The very first "out of range" marker that was mentioned in my Function report was a cholesterol measurement. While my regular LDL, or "bad" cholesterol number — the one you'd get measured in a doctor's office — looked fine, Function also measured the size of my LDL cholesterol particles.

Apparently, I had slightly elevated numbers of small and medium sized LDL cholesterol particles, which are more dangerous than larger LDL particles. This "could indicate an increased risk for cardiovascular disease despite normal LDL cholesterol levels," my results said, adding "it is vital to address the out-of-range results."

This was a surprise. I had always been told I have "good" cholesterol.

I started imagining all those tiny, sticky cholesterol particles racing towards my aging heart. Knowing how important heart health is for healthy aging, and that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, I started to worry. Should I quit my beloved mayonnaise? Maybe I should at least cut back.

After my initial shock, I reached out to independent cardiologists and longevity doctors for this story. I also spoke directly to Hyman about my results. All of those physicians refocused my attention, helping me interpret the results, and zoom in on the more meaningful ways to adjust my lifestyle.

Frankly, they reminded me why this kind of testing isn't widely recommended, and why we go to the doctor in the first place.

Without help from doctors, I was stressing about the wrong things in my labs and on my plate

Even for me, a seasoned health journalist who isn't generally freaked out by medical test results, this felt like a lot to take in. In addition to the supposedly off-balance cholesterol numbers, there was also low vitamin D, and a few other items that could impact everything from my immunity to metabolism and fertility.

Without a doctor's advice, I found it was easy to get lost in the noise of all the results.

"I think if you showed any cardiologist or lipidologist your panel, they wouldn't be worrying about you," Dr. Ken Feingold, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who is an expert on lipids and lipoprotein metabolism, told BI.

The cholesterol numbers that really matter were fine, including the basics (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL) but also some of the more niche measurements that doctors are now factoring into clinical decision-making, like lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B (APOB), Feingold said.

"I think it would be very unfair to expect a consumer, the person that had the lab work done to try and figure it out on their own," Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Ohio who is also not involved with Function Health, told BI.

In theory, Function is designed to help consumers make simple nutrition tweaks they hadn't thought to make — perhaps adding fatty fish for omega-3, vitamin D, or fiber supplements.

"80% of people's health issues will never need a doctor," Hyman said. "They're really lifestyle-driven and they can be modified through modifying your diet and your lifestyle."

However, as a consumer, I found the barrage of information confusing, making it harder to feel in control of good decision-making.

Plus, while Function gave me diet and supplement recommendations (vitamin D, fiber, berberine, omega-3, and coQ10, along with more fish and eggs), it buried the most important piece of nutrition advice that every doctor I spoke to was quickly able to point out.

Doctors told me to cut back on white bread and enjoy avocados

In a follow-up interview with Hyman — which is not standard procedure for Function patients — he told me I could improve my particle numbers by cutting down on, or ideally eliminating, refined starches and sugars.

This was advice that was not highlighted in my Function dashboard, but other doctors wholeheartedly agreed. It was the first thing they said.

Miora longevity clinic director Dr. Gregory Pippert uses advanced blood testing that's similar to Function's, often catering to patients who are trying to optimize their health and gains in the gym.

"I look at so much green on that," he said of my cholesterol panel. "Then I see particle numbers that are not massively high."

For Pippert, the headline was simple: just skip the refined grains more often.

"Do I really, really need the big extra thick slice of white bread? Maybe not," Pippert said. "It's making the good choices more than the bad choices, but not obsessing."

Seeing more granular data may help some patients take general pieces of health advice — to hit the gym five days a week, incorporate more strength training, or adhere to heart healthy diets, like the Mediterranean diet, more seriously.

"The anxiety associated with the results may trigger more compliance with lifestyle modification," Sabgir said.

But how can we be sure we'll pick out the right tweaks on our own? If I'm skipping mayo but not switching to whole grains or cutting back on sugar, I'm probably not going to have a huge impact on my test results.

"I don't know why people are offering this," Feingold said. "It's a way to make a lot of money because sure, they're charging a significant amount of money for this, but you don't really need it to make decisions about who you're going to treat, most of the time."

• Ukraine is using ground robots to evacuate wounded, lay mines, and attack Russian forces.
• An operator said they don't use different robots, instead they adapt and tweak the same ones.
• They work like "Lego sets" — a positive for Ukraine's soldiers, as they need to constantly adapt.

Ukraine is using ground robots "like Lego," putting them together differently to use for different missions, from evacuations to attacks, a Ukrainian robot operator told Business Insider.

Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of the robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, told BI that his unit doesn't have different robot types. Instead, they equip and put them together based on specific needs.

They might use a rigid capsule so it can carry a wounded soldier, but later, if they need to destroy a Russian position, they attach a bomb to it and "turn that system into a kamikaze one," he said.

Yabchanka described ground drones as being adaptable systems that soldiers can put together themselves on the field.

"We all remember Lego. We were growing up together with those kits," he said.

He also described it as a positive development for Ukraine: In a war where tactics and technology are constantly changing, helping soldiers be nimble could be key.

Adaptable robots

Vadym Yunyk, the CEO of FRDM Group, which makes the D-21 robotic ground logistics complex, told BI that "the adaptability of the D-21 is one of its key advantages."

The robot can be used for transporting provisions like ammunition, as well as for the emergency evacuation of wounded, or even as a platform for mounting weapons.

Yunyk said this adaptability means that units can "quickly integrate the platform into their own tactics."

The company has also adapted the system further: In response to requests, it attached a combat module to the D-21, making the D-21-12R, a robot that can fire while moving between different positions, Yunyk said.

And they're working on adding a grenade launcher, too.

"This opens the way to even more flexible applications for the D-21 and D-21-12R," he said. "In other words, we are not just offering a product — we are providing a tool that adapts to the real needs of the front lines."

Milrem Robotics, an Estonian company, describes its THeMIS robot, which is being used in Ukraine, as "an advanced multi-role defence platform designed for various operational tasks."

The company says its "modular and versatile design allows customization according to the customer's needs" and that its robots can gather intelligence, dispose of ordnance, and evacuate troops. They can also be fitted with a variety of weapons depending on what soldiers have available and want to achieve.

Kuldar Väärsi, the founder and CEO of Milrem Robots, told BI that innovation on the battlefield goes even further.

He said that soldiers have been using the tech in ways the company wasn't even expecting.

"Ukrainian troops are really creative, and they really find very simple ways how to get even more out of the equipment," he said.

A new type of warfare

Ground robots are not new to warfare, but the scale of their use in Ukraine, the different types of usage, and the number of companies quickly bringing them to the battlefield stand out.

They also have the potential to be a key tool for Ukraine, as it has far fewer troops than Russia, which is a much larger country. Russia is also working on its own versions.

The speed of innovation is notable, too, with countries rapidly deploying AI and new tech to make them more autonomous and more powerful.

Yabchanka said soldiers are playing a key role in that development.

He said his troops often tweak, refine, and upgrade the ground robots themselves while on video calls with manufacturers.

It's a similar dynamic to the one that drone operators have described to BI. One operator said he often texts and FaceTime manufacturers to give them feedback and get updates.

FRDM Group's Yunyk said his robots also have to constantly be updated based on feedback and how soldiers are using them.

"The product lifecycle in this war is extremely short," he said. "What worked a month ago may already be outdated today. Therefore, developers do not have the luxury of working according to old templates."

He said that if companies spend two years developing a product, "there is a high risk that it will become irrelevant even before development is complete."

"This is a new reality in which those who adapt faster, not those who plan longer, win," he added.

• Moving to Argentina in 2022 helped Greyson Ferguson pay down his student loans.
• But his costs started to increase after the 2023 election, so he had to look for greener pastures.
• He's moved to Albania, where he hopes his financial situation and mental well-being will improve.

I'm from America, but I couldn't achieve the American dream if I stayed in the States.

I graduated from college on the heels of 2008's Great Recession. It seemed like nobody was hiring. I built a career writing for travel magazines and news outlets to keep up with student loan payments that started at around $900 a month.

When COVID hit, I lost clients, and my financial situation became dire. Loans and rent gobbled up nearly $2,000 a month before car payments. I moved in with my sister and then tried living in a dirt-cheap trailer, but I couldn't make up for the income I lost.

In 2021, I decided to leave my life in the US and move to Argentina with my two dogs. I hoped the lower cost of living abroad would help me slash expenses and reduce my debt.

For a time, everything clicked. I saved money and began paying down debts, but with the financial success came a darker side to living abroad. I struggled to connect with locals, and my isolation led to full-blown depression.

As Argentina's economic situation and my mental health floundered, I decided to move to Albania. I'm hopeful it's the solution I've been searching for.

Living in Argentina helped me pay down my loans

When I searched for a new home outside America, I knew I needed a country that allowed longer-term stays, was affordable, and would let me bring a pitbull.

In March 2022, I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which met all my criteria. As a freelance writer with US clients, I didn't need any work approval, and I could keep extending my stay as a tourist by crossing the border every three months. I did fumble a bit with the local Spanish dialect — it took me far too long to discover "ll" sounds like "sha," so tortilla was pronounced tor-ti-sha. But I got by.

At the time, one US dollar traded for around 110 Argentine pesos. However, the unofficial exchange rate, which was used widely by locals although it's considered illegal, increased the dollar value to 200 pesos.

When I moved to Argentina in 2022, inflation rates were astronomically high, but as someone who didn't earn in pesos, the move still slashed my costs significantly. Aside from no longer having a car payment, my pre-paid mobile number cost around $4 a month, while my gym membership ran close to $15.

Locating a place to stay using local real estate agents took time, but I eventually landed a fully furnished apartment, decorated in what I'd call a dumpster-dive chic aesthetic. It cost me $400 a month, including utilities. In Arizona, my rent, car payment, and utility bills cost $1,635.

With the reduced cost of living and clients slowly returning post-COVID, I made good progress on paying down my debt.

The financial benefits didn't last long

After Argentina's 2023 presidential election, things started to change. The newly elected Javier Milei immediately slashed utilities and transportation subsidies and devalued the peso. Poverty rates reached their highest level in two decades.

The impact was felt across the country, and my own rent and utility costs living in Buenos Aires increased significantly.

I'd also been struggling with a growing sense of loneliness since moving to Argentina. Despite my best efforts, I hadn't made close friends, and I began experiencing bouts of depression.

I stuck with it because of the progress I'd made with paying down my debt, but the economic changes were making loan repayments more difficult.

Then, one of my two dogs died. I knew I needed to make a change before my emotional state declined even further.

With the same parameters as before, I set out looking for an affordable country to move to

As someone who enjoys staying on top of travel trends, Albania piqued my interest. The coastal photographs looked so nice that I thought they were AI-generated. I noticed US passport holders could enter for a full 12 months as tourists without applying for a residency permit.

In April 2025, I moved into a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Tirana, Albania's capital city, for roughly $600. With utilities, the first month cost $650.

Albania still remains somewhat of a new expat destination. It doesn't have the brand appeal of Spain or Italy, but locals I've asked have noticed a big increase in outsiders in recent years.

Albania's economy seems stable, which should provide me with predictable monthly expenses. I'd say most things are cheaper here than in Argentina. A cup of coffee costs me just $0.59 per cup.

It will take some time to figure out how much spare cash I'll have to pay off debt at the end of the month, since there are resettling costs involved in a move, like buying new dishes and a vacuum cleaner for the ever-shedding dog. I'll be happy if my expenses start to look remotely close to what my early Argentina days were like.

I've learned you can't be prepared for everything when you move abroad

When I moved to Argentina, I thought I was prepared. I'd researched the country and its occasionally volatile economy, which was financially beneficial to non-peso earners.

But moving abroad involves handing over power. Hopping on a plane and settling somewhere new is invigorating, but also terrifying. You can't account for the unknowns.

I chose Argentina for financial gain, but had no idea I'd struggle making friends, or that the extended isolation would lead to depression. I still wouldn't change anything about this difficult patch — it's part of my journey.

The digital nomad experience is fluid, and your experiences aren't always positive. This fluidity has washed me into Albania. The country's friendly nature makes me hopeful my life will improve not only financially but mentally as well.

Do you have a story to share about relocating for financial reasons? Contact the editor, Charissa Cheong, at [email protected]