How to build sentiment-aware word representations from IMDb reviews using semantic learning, star ratings, and linear SVM classification The post Learning Word Vectors for Sentiment Analysis: A Python Reproduction appeared first on Towards Data Science.

Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: Musk v. Altman: Ilya Sutskever testifies that his OpenAI stake is worth ~$7B and he had concerns about Altman for a year before Altman's brief ouster as CEO  —  OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said his stake in the ChatGPT maker is worth roughly $7 billion …

<p><strong><a href="https://www.404media.co/your-ai-use-is-breaking-my-brain/">Your AI Use Is Breaking My Brain</a></strong></p> Excellent, angry piece by Jason Koebler on how AI writing online is becoming impossible to avoid, filtering it is mentally exhausting and it's even starting to distort regular human writing styles.</p> <p>I particularly liked his use of the term "Zombie Internet" to define a different, more insidious alternative to the "Dead Internet" (which is just bots talking to each other):</p> <blockquote> <p>I called it the Zombie Internet because the truth is that large parts of the internet are not just bots talking to bots or bots talking to people. It’s people talking to bots, people talking to people, people creating “AI agents” and then instructing them to interact with people. It’s people using AI talking to people who are not using AI, and it’s people using AI talking to other people who are using AI. It’s influencer hustlebros who are teaching each other how to make AI influencers and have spun up automated YouTube channels and blogs and social media accounts that are spamming the internet for the sole purpose of making money. It is whatever the fuck “Moltbook” is and whatever the fuck X and LinkedIn have become. It’s AI summaries of real books being sold as the book itself and inspirational Reddit posts and comment threads in which people give heartfelt advice to some account that’s actually being run by a marketing firm. [...]</p> </blockquote> <p><small></small>Via <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jasonkoebler.bsky.social/post/3mllgvidacs2n">@jasonkoebler.bsky.social</a></small></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/definitions">definitions</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ai">ai</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/generative-ai">generative-ai</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llms">llms</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/slop">slop</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/jason-koebler">jason-koebler</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ai-ethics">ai-ethics</a></p>

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Samantha Subin / CNBC: Google's TIG says it likely thwarted the use of an AI-generated zero-day in a “mass exploitation event” and tools like OpenClaw are being used to find exploits  —  Google's Threat Intelligence Group said in a report on Monday that it thwarted an effort by hackers …

Washington Post: Sources: the White House's Office of the National Cyber Director and Commerce Department's CAISI are fighting over which agency should lead AI model evaluations  —  As the White House grapples with cybersecurity threats from artificial intelligence models, intelligence officials want sway in AI policy overseen by Commerce.

<p><strong>TIL:</strong> <a href="https://til.simonwillison.net/llms/llm-shebang">Using LLM in the shebang line of a script</a></p> <p>Kim_Bruning <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48073246#48090590">on Hacker News</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>But seriously, you can put a shebang on an english text file now (if you're sufficiently brave) [...]</p> </blockquote> <p>This inspired me to look at patterns for doing exactly that with <a href="https://llm.datasette.io/en/stable/">LLM</a>. Here's the simplest, which takes advantage of <a href="https://llm.datasette.io/en/stable/fragments.html">LLM fragments</a>:</p> <pre><code>#!/usr/bin/env -S llm -f Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle </code></pre> <p>But you can also incorporate <a href="https://llm.datasette.io/en/stable/tools.html">tool calls</a> using the <code>-T name_of_tool</code> option:</p> <pre><code>#!/usr/bin/env -S llm -T llm_time -f Write a haiku that mentions the exact current time </code></pre> <p>Or even execute YAML templates directly that define extra tools as Python functions:</p> <pre><span class="pl-c"><span class="pl-c">#</span>!/usr/bin/env -S llm -t</span> <span class="pl-ent">model</span>: <span class="pl-s">gpt-5.4-mini</span> <span class="pl-ent">system</span>: <span class="pl-s">|</span> <span class="pl-s"> Use tools to run calculations</span> <span class="pl-s"></span><span class="pl-ent">functions</span>: <span class="pl-s">|</span> <span class="pl-s"> def add(a: int, b: int) -&gt; int:</span> <span class="pl-s"> return a + b</span> <span class="pl-s"> def multiply(a: int, b: int) -&gt; int:</span> <span class="pl-s"> return a * b</span></pre> <p>Then:</p> <pre><code>./calc.sh 'what is 2344 * 5252 + 134' --td </code></pre> <p>Which outputs (thanks to that <code>--td</code> tools debug option):</p> <pre><code>Tool call: multiply({'a': 2344, 'b': 5252}) 12310688 Tool call: add({'a': 12310688, 'b': 134}) 12310822 2344 × 5252 + 134 = **12,310,822** </code></pre> <p>Read the full TIL for <a href="https://til.simonwillison.net/llms/llm-shebang#templates-with-tools">a more complex example</a> that uses the Datasette SQL API to answer questions about content on my blog.</p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llm">llm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llm-tool-use">llm-tool-use</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llms">llms</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ai">ai</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/generative-ai">generative-ai</a></p>

@trq212: An Anthropic engineer argues HTML is a better output format for AI agents than Markdown, citing information density, ease of sharing, and two-way interaction  —  Using Claude Code: The Unreasonable Effectiveness of HTML

Net Zero Logistics; BI Net Zero Logistics uses the AI-powered tool Finmile to optimize its delivery operations. Since implementing Finmile, the logistics company has reduced delivery routes and package sortation time. Drivers and the operations team can monitor all delivery data in real time using their phones. Until May 2025, Net Zero Logistics' vans were running 30 to 40 routes daily across Connecticut. Mark Chiusano, the CEO and owner of Net Zero, which focuses on the last mile of deliveries, said he wanted more efficient routes that would lower costs while meeting client needs. Net Zero's own transportation management software couldn't suggest optimized routes, so Chiusano said they decided to try Finmile, an AI-powered transportation routing software that provides dynamic routing based on location, weather, traffic, service-level agreements, vehicle specs, driver behavior, and available drivers. Now, Net Zero averages 16 to 20 routes daily, with each driver delivering more packages in the same amount of time or less, said Chiusano. Mathematicians and traveling salesmen have been trying to make routes more efficient for centuries, said Willem-Jan van Hoeve, an operations research professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. "Traveling salesmen would go from city to city to sell goods. They wanted to do so in the most cost-effective way," he said. The goal? Find the shortest distance to all stops. Today, however, the problem is more complex. "Look at the urban environment, with rush hour, schools dropping off, and events. Even the distance is highly dependent on the time you're traveling," van Hoeve said. The classic approach of prioritizing the shortest distance is not well-suited to current deliveries, as customers expect deliveries at specific times, he said. Rich Pleeth, Finmile's CEO and cofounder, understood this modern problem firsthand through his experience in physical logistics. His company launched in 2022, delivering packages with e-cargo bikes and electric vans, then pivoted in 2024 to route-optimization software. "I realized that delivery is the broken part of e-commerce," Pleeth said. The company uses agentic AI to ingest orders, build initial routes, and continuously update them throughout the day to improve efficiency. "AI is not sitting in a dashboard waiting for a human. It is actively making decisions, reassigning stops when a driver is late, inserting returns into live routes, predicting delivery failures before they happen, and triggering customer communications automatically," Pleeth said. More efficient routes and package sortation Legacy software systems often layer AI on top of existing code, which "can become unwieldy," said Stuart Hyden, Net Zero's president and COO. But AI was foundational to Finmile, making it easy for Hyden and his team to create customized reports or change routing without any technical expertise, he said. Routing automation software has also helped Net Zero reduce the time its drivers spend sorting packages, a process that often starts after 3 a.m. when they receive customer delivery information for the day. Previously, drivers sorted packages by geographic area, which was more time- and labor-intensive. "With dynamic routing, it is very fast and efficient. You scan the package, and it comes up on the device and tells you what route it goes on," said Hyden. "It helps us reduce the sortation labor cost." Once Net Zero's operations staff accepts the initial AI-generated routes that Finmile's algorithm proposes each morning, they are available on drivers' smartphones. Drivers can then scan packages to load into the trucks. The program continues aggregating data and refining the algorithm to further improve routes. "Our team has the ability to edit routes on the fly," said Chiusano. "It does seem to be reducing the number of hours on road, making each route more efficient." With Finmile, the drivers don't need to sort parcels into delivery order. Instead, drivers put packages into their assigned totes; at each stop, the software — which drivers access on their devices — specifies the tote number. Hyden said a driver can rummage through a tote with 30 to 40 packages more quickly than they can sort items by stop each morning before hitting the road. Increased tracking and fewer customer claims Since implementing Finmile, Net Zero's routes are increasingly efficient, and drivers are making more deliveries, said Chiusano. He added that the AI-powered technology has helped reduce the number of deliveries not received because drivers can access the exact drop-off coordinates. In addition to Finmile's software geotagging deliveries, each driver's phone barometer tracks steps. The program knows if a driver is going upstairs or delivering at the ground floor, said Pleeth, information that is automatically fed into Finmile's algorithm. Similar to Amazon drivers, those who use Finmile can photograph the drop-off, including the location address numbers and door. The software maintains a door-color library, an extra check against future erroneous deliveries. Combined, these AI-enabled proof-of-delivery checks have resulted in fewer delivery claims, Pleeth said. Dispatchers and drivers can also track performance in real time. The system displays the number of orders the driver delivered, the average drop time, and the driver's dwell time. Driver access to this information increases the transparency they have into performance-related management discussions, said Hyden. Companies not using dynamic route optimization need to "get on board," said Chiusano. "It's not the same logistics world as 10 years ago or even two years ago." Read the original article on Business Insider

Perform efficient data retrieval of personal knowledge The post How to Build a Claude Code-Powered Knowledge Base appeared first on Towards Data Science.

Hackers are using Google Ads and Claude shared chats to target Mac users with fake setup instructions that can install malware. The post Mac Users Warned Over Fake Claude Install Instructions appeared first on TechRepublic.

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Solo business owners Jennifer O'Brien and Liane Agbi shared the ways they implement generative AI for time savings. Gabby Jones for BI Two solopreneurs said AI saves them time and improves their marketing results. A jewelry designer uses AI to generate creative variations, improving results. A website designer streamlined follow-ups with AI, resulting in more business from dormant leads. Jennifer O'Brien has more than a decade of marketing experience but said she still finds value in tapping AI when promoting her fine jewelry company. "As a solo entrepreneur, I do not have time to wear so many different hats. AI has helped me replicate the work of a marketing department," said O'Brien, who started Calms Jewelry a year ago. Beyond saving time, AI can unlock creative ideas and workflows that some solopreneurs said they would not have discovered on their own. "Leveraging AI to see the things that I can't see or think outside of the box has been really helpful," said Liane Agbi, the founder of a boutique web design studio called Beautifuli Digital. Agbi and O'Brien shared the surprisingly simple and AI-driven improvements they used to boost marketing in their solo businesses. AI as a creative partner O'Brien said Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT are useful tools for putting together marketing campaigns. Gabby Jones for BI In her previous work in marketing, O'Brien used to spend hours rewriting variations of the same email subject line to optimize performance or brainstorming the best image to capture for social media. Now, she uses AI to generate multiple test versions in minutes, allowing her to run more experiments faster and significantly increase click-through rates, she told Business Insider. When writing the subject line for a marketing email about a big sale, for instance, O'Brien might go to an AI chatbot (she switches between Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT) and write about the campaign and goal. She shared an example: "I'm in the fine jewelry industry, I'm looking to send out a marketing email for the biggest sale of the year, and I want to figure out what subject line will perform the best for sales." O'Brien owns and operates her own jewelry business, Calms Jewelry. Gabby Jones for BI "It's still a dynamic, back-and-forth conversation, even after I've typed a long prompt," she said. For instance, she'll drop in some ideas of her own and AI will suggest swapping two words so the more impactful one doesn't get cut off in the subject line. O'Brien added that she sometimes has to push back when AI's suggestions don't match the brand guidelines she provided it. She said this process makes her creative work easier because she has more time for the hands-on work of jewelry-making that AI can't replace. Using AI for administrative work has freed up more time for creativity, O'Brien said. Gabby Jones for BI Plus, she's found that her AI use leads to successful results: For one social ad promoting a ring, she launched with two of her own ideas, then asked the AI for additional variations. One of its suggestions, a video of the ring being held in a hand, ended up having the strongest performance, with a click-through rate increase of 291%. AI can help customize and streamline customer outreach For Agbi, generative AI helped to streamline the process of nurturing leads. Formerly, the process involved a lot of manual work: Remembering to follow up with people, copying and pasting template messages, and rereading their previous emails to personalize them, said Agbi. Agbi said AI helps her keep track of client communications. Gabby Jones for BI To generate basic responses more quickly, she started with the AI capabilities built into her CRM, called HoneyBook. After providing templates she wrote, HoneyBook's AI suggests tone and context adjustments for each contact based on previous emails, making the outreach feel more intentional and less like an email blast, Agbi said. She said she can quickly review the message, make small tweaks to ensure it sounds like her, and then send it off much more quickly than starting from scratch. "Since implementing this, I've seen a 25% increase in new business from abandoned contacts and dormant client relationships I would have otherwise let go," Agbi told Business Insider. Agbi is the founder of the boutique web design studio Beautifuli Digital. Gabby Jones for BI For tougher cases, like when a client says they're interested and then goes quiet, Agbi said Anthropic's Claude is valuable for offering solutions. She'll drop the whole conversation into the chat and ask what's going on. In one instance, it flagged that her message was sent around the holidays, and suggested she follow up with some empathy for the business of the season and a gentle nudge to pick the conversation back up. She ended up landing the client. "It's allowed me to really review certain conversations or gain alternative context to what might have been going on," Agbi said. For other business owners looking for simple but impactful marketing improvements that AI can help them with, Agbi suggests mapping out your current customer journey with an AI tool and asking it to identify small gaps in how you're getting clients or building relationships. "Start small instead of jumping into something big," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider

Investing in my appearance helped for a while, but I changed my perspective once I hardly recognized myself. Hannah Van De Peer I started my journalism career because I love storytelling. Eventually, I was doing work on camera. I struggled to watch myself on screen, so I started changing my appearance with filler and makeup. After spending thousands on "tweakments" and beauty products, I realized I'd missed the point. As a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and naive teenager, I was keen to work in journalism, an industry in which the written word was valued above all else. I spent years refining my craft, wanting to be the best storyteller possible: I invested in workshops to sharpen my writing skills, pitched dozens of outlets, and spent countless hours building connections with editors. I hadn't been "working on" my appearance as part of my career prep— it wasn't something I thought I had to do. But in an age when so many people get their updates from TikTok videos or news segments, I started to feel that my work could only achieve widespread appeal if I had the looks to back it up. As my job required more work on camera, I started paying for 'tweakments' and beauty products I spent years preparing for a career in journalism, but I hadn't thought much about changing my appearance to do it. Hannah Van De Peer After publishing my first national feature at 21, I found myself among a seemingly infinite community of freelance journalists, and quickly learned the importance of building a personal brand. To stand out (and hopefully keep getting more work), I realized I'd have to do way more than just sit at my desk and write — I'd also need to be active on social media and able to hop on camera for documentaries and news segments. Later that year, I set foot in front of a professional camera for the first time, appearing in a short film for BBC World News. As I watched the footage back, I remember being able to pick out (at least) five features I disliked about myself: My face was too round, my brows were too thin, my lips disappeared when I smiled, my lashes didn't look long enough, and I had acne. I'd been comfortable in front of the camera during filming — and, deep down, I know that's what mattered — but I hated how I felt watching myself on video. After that, I was determined to improve how I looked on screen. I wanted to always feel camera-ready, no matter the cost. Over the next few years, I spent thousands of dollars creating a new look for myself. Hannah Van De Peer Instead of saving or investing my hard-earned money, I splashed out on brand-new clothes, designer bags and shoes, fake tan, expensive skincare, false lashes, and brow laminations. I even paid for "tweakments," minimally invasive cosmetic procedures meant to enhance one's natural features, like lip fillers and Botox. I remember looking at a photo of myself three days after my lip flip and feeling an almost embarrassing sense of euphoria: Finally, I felt I'd met my own impossibly high beauty standards. This was what camera-ready felt like. As I spent more money on my appearance, I felt boosts of confidence. Hannah Van De Peer For a while, these routines and tweaks helped me stop overthinking about my appearance on-camera. I was comfortable enough in my skin to get professional headshots taken, and I felt less inhibited when speaking publicly. My new look gave me confidence to start presenting content on TikTok, but I still spent longer than I'd care to admit adjusting camera angles, finding my best side, and analyzing my face with a hypercritical eye. A few years and several thousand dollars later, I realized I'd missed the point Despite investing so much in my appearance, the pangs of low self-esteem still hit me from time to time. Hannah Van De Peer In seven years, I'd easily spent over $6,000 on my "glow-up." And yet, I'd started feeling guilty and hollow as I looked at pictures of myself. The girl in the photos was an absolute baddie — there's no doubt about that — but she wasn't me. Despite investing so much in my appearance, the pangs of low self-esteem still hit me from time to time. Ultimately, it all felt a bit pointless. None of the tweaks had changed the tangible qualities that actually made me good at my job. I was still the same great, articulate storyteller I'd always been … just with fuller lashes and an emptier bank account. Honestly, I have regrets about investing so much into my appearance when I could've spent the same amount of money on courses on court reporting, pitching masterclasses, or even pursuing a journalism degree. As I wrap up my 20s, I'm pledging to stop spending money on "tweakments" and to try a little harder to embrace my natural beauty. Maybe I'll never be 100% comfortable watching myself on screen, but I've realized having true confidence in my career will never come from throwing money at every perceived imperfection. It comes from refocusing on my skills and why I became a journalist in the first place: to tell high-quality stories and take myself out of the picture. Read the original article on Business Insider

A US passenger tested "mildly positive," but WHO is calling it "inconclusive" for now.

Jon Gray said he's never considered leaving Blackstone. Bloomberg/Getty Images Blackstone's president, Jon Gray, said bigger firms offer a lot of opportunity for growth. Gray said hiring, firing, and promotion decisions are key to a company's growth. Some have said young employees should opt for smaller companies, where they can maximize impact. Jonathan Gray, the president and COO of Blackstone, said large companies offer a key benefit to ambitious employees. Gray, the president and COO of Blackstone, said bigger employees give people more runway to rise the ranks, since there's not as clear a ceiling to growth. "One of the problems with smaller firms is, there's not a space. That smaller tree can't get sunlight," he said in an interview with Bloomberg that aired on Monday. Gray would know. He started at the firm at just 22 and said he was taken seriously from the start. Gray, who made more than $96 million last year, has spent more than 34 years at the private-markets giant, which manages more than $1.3 trillion in assets and employed more than 5,200 people at the end of last year. Now, he said, leaders make a point of calling out innovative, creative efforts in group meetings and rewarding the people behind them. Promoting employees who take strategic risks and exemplify the firm's culture provides younger people with a clear model for climbing the corporate ladder, he added. Ultimately, he said, people want to work somewhere where they have responsibility, are well-paid, and like their colleagues. As for himself, Gray said he's never considered leaving, partly because he walks into the office every day "intellectually challenged." This talent strategy also leads to growth, Gray said: "People often think, 'How do I get an organization to head in a certain direction?' It's not by putting plaques up on the wall with mottos. Who you hire, who you fire, who you promote." Getting hired at Blackstone as a younger person is no easy feat, though, especially recently. Gray said during a September presentation that the firm's acceptance rate for the 2025 analyst class fell to 0.2% —  around 57,000 people applied for only 138 entry-level roles. Many of the jobs were filled by former summer interns, the firm's head of campus recruiting previously said. While Gray touted the merits of working with a big employer, some have argued that smaller companies are ideal for younger employees, many of whom prioritize the remote work flexibility more common at leaner businesses. Mark Cuban, the entrepreneur, said in December that new graduates should work at small- or medium-sized companies where they can add the most value, especially in terms of AI. Read the original article on Business Insider

The San Francisco area's real estate market is on fire. Newly minted AI millionaires are splashing out — and there's a lot more where those came from. picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images San Francisco real estate has been very expensive for a very long time. But AI money is pushing San Francisco housing prices way, way up. And this is just a prelude: What happens when Anthropic and OpenAI go public, and even more money shows up? News item: Last fall, more than 600 OpenAI employees went from being paper millionaires to the real thing by selling $6.6 billion worth of the company's stock. Also a news item: The San Francisco real estate market — especially for high-end stuff millionaires want to live in — is booming. Before you correlation/causation folks jump in: No, we don't know that every OpenAI employee who turned their shares into cash immediately sank that money into San Francisco housing. But something is goosing the local real estate market, and everyone in town believes it's AI money. This market is nuts. 3 bedroom in SF we were going to see this week has over 10 offers, 9 days after being listed. — Katie Jacobs Stanton (@KatieS) April 22, 2026 And all of this is happening before OpenAI and Anthropic go public, which will unleash even more money into a market that's already incredibly frothy. That's because the traditional Silicon Valley wealth cycle has changed. In the old days, you signed on to work at a risky, high-flying startup — and if everything worked out, your shares in that startup would turn into real money years later, when it turned into a public company. Now you don't need to wait for the IPO: It's routine for big, valuable private companies to stay private, while giving employees and investors a way to cash out before going public, via secondary stock sales. That's not an AI innovation. We've seen it for years through companies like Stripe, which routinely manages share sales for current and former employees, minting millionaires without ever going public. Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is about to go public, has been doing the same for its employees for years. But even by those standards, what happened at OpenAI last fall is something extraordinary. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sam Altman's company, which had previously limited share sales to $10 million per employee, boosted the limit to $30 million, and that about 75 employees sold the full amount. And all of that new money has shown up to a town that's already seen crazy comp deals for in-demand AI employees, who can negotiate NBA-level employment packages — or convince Big Tech companies to buy their startups for huge sums. So it's not hard to understand why Bay Area housing prices have jumped 14% in the last year, per RedFin, driven in large part by sales of luxury properties, which now average around $7 million, up from $5 million in 2020. And it's easy to understand why conversations about real estate in the area — a long-standing obsession in an area with limited housing stock and ever-increasing wealth — are more fraught than ever. Which raises an obvious question: If this is what the pre-IPO AI boom looks like, what happens when the IPOs actually arrive? Read the original article on Business Insider

Shutdown of Starlink location feature won’t dampen interest in GPS alternatives.

Trump said he would support a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax during a meeting in the Oval Office. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Trump says he backs suspending the federal gas tax as fuel prices climb during the war with Iran. Federal taxes add 18.4 cents per gallon to regular gas in the US. The average gas price in the US has spiked from $2.98 before escalations in Iran to $4.52 a gallon on Monday. President Donald Trump said Monday that he supports suspending the federal gas tax as fuel prices surge during the war with Iran. Speaking during a meeting with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump pledged support for planned legislation by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to suspend the federal levy on gasoline and diesel fuel temporarily. I’m introducing legislation today to suspend the gas tax https://t.co/hVHRhUVPgC — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 11, 2026 Asked how long he would want the gas tax suspended, Trump said: "Until it's appropriate." The federal government collects an 18.4-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a 24.4-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel fuel. After saying he supported the temporary pause, Trump repeated his claim that gas prices will fall once the US and Iran reach a peace deal. "Now, when this ends, you're going to see it drop like a rock," Trump said. Gas prices have steadily climbed since the US entered the war with Iran at the end of February. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.52 on Monday, according to AAA. That's up from $2.98 a gallon on average on February 27, the day before the US started its bombing campaign. Earlier Monday, Trump reiterated his support for suspending the tax during a phone interview with CBS News. "I think it's a great idea," he said. "Yup, we're going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we'll let it phase back in." Any suspension of the federal gas tax would require congressional approval. The White House declined to elaborate on how Trump could implement the policy if the legislation doesn't pass. Read the original article on Business Insider

I tried Trader Joe's wraps and sandwiches and ranked them. Erin McDowell/Business Insider I tried eight wraps and sandwiches from the prepared foods section at Trader Joe's. I thought the tuna salad wrap was slightly bland. The turkey apple cheddar sandwich would be perfect for an office lunch or picnic. Trader Joe's is known for its tasty, affordable prepared foods, and with summer around the corner, it could be a perfect stop before a beach day or picnic. The chain sells a variety of options for lunch on the go, including soups, salads, and sandwiches. To see which wraps and sandwiches are worth the money, I tried nine different kinds from my local Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, New York. Some, like the chain's tarragon chicken wrap and turkey apple cheddar sandwich, would be ideal for a cheap office lunch or picnic lunch. Others, like the tuna wrap, were decent, but I wouldn't reach for them again. Here are eight Trader Joe's wraps and sandwiches, ranked from worst to best. Prices and availability may vary by Trader Joe's location. My least favorite sandwich was the tuna salad wrap. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. It came in a wheat tortilla with tuna salad and lettuce. Erin McDowell/Business Insider The tuna salad was moist and packed with chopped tomatoes, but I thought it tasted flavorless and underseasoned. I thought the wrap could have benefited from other vegetables, such as celery or red onion, to add more crunch. I thought the creamy hummus and vegetable wrap was a good vegetarian option. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $4.99, excluding tax. I thought this was a little pricey for a meatless wrap that didn't come with a dipping sauce. The wrap was fresh and flavorful but not very filling. Erin McDowell/Business Insider The wrap was simple, and the hummus was just as creamy as described. The chopped carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, and red cabbage gave it a Mediterranean flair and added flavor. Overall, however, I didn't feel fully satisfied with this meatless option. I'd need a bit more than this wrap to fill me up at lunchtime. The turkey club wrap was a tomato-flavored twist on a classic sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. The wrap was stuffed with turkey breast, spinach, turkey bacon, and tomato mayonnaise. Erin McDowell/Business Insider The turkey breast was moist and flavorful, and the turkey bacon added a slight smokiness. The spinach added a touch of freshness, and the tomato-flavored wrap added even more flavor to this take on a club sandwich. However, I thought the wrap could have used more mayonnaise, and the tomato flavor in the sauce didn't come through as much as I expected it to. I also tried the turkey breast, spinach, and Swiss cheese wrap. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. The wrap was made with an herb and garlic tortilla. Erin McDowell/Business Insider The fresh flavor of the spinach and pungent Swiss cheese really came through, as did the honey Dijon mustard sauce. I thought the tortilla was also really flavorful. However, other wraps from Trader Joe's delivered a more dynamic flavor profile. This wrap was undeniably tasty but just a little boring. The grilled pesto chicken wrap landed in the middle of the pack. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. The wrap was made with pesto-seasoned grilled chicken, ricotta, feta cheese, zucchini, and sundried tomatoes. Erin McDowell/Business Insider This wrap was moist and flavorful, and the nuttiness of the pesto, which came on the side, added a vibrant flavor that really impressed me. The two different types of cheese also added a lot of moisture and flavor. I liked the addition of the pesto sauce, which I drizzled over the top of the wrap as I was eating. I'd definitely buy this again for an easy lunch on the go. My third favorite sandwich was the Buffalo-style chicken wrap. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. This was the only Trader Joe's wrap I had tried before, so I already knew I liked it. Erin McDowell/Business Insider The wrap features chicken meat tossed in spicy Buffalo sauce, complete with diced celery in a tomato-flavored flour tortilla. It also includes a packet of blue cheese dressing. I thought this wrap was super flavorful and had just the right amount of spice. I dipped the sandwich in the blue cheese dressing provided, which added a more savory, tangy flavor. The wrap was moist without being soggy, and overall, it impressed me. My second favorite was the only true sandwich in the lineup: Trader Joe's turkey apple cheddar sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $4.99, excluding tax. Trader Joe's told Business Insider that, while the sandwich is not currently widely available, it will return to stores soon. The sandwich is made with thick slices of turkey breast, sliced apples, cheddar cheese, arugula, and Dijon mayonnaise. Erin McDowell/Business Insider Unlike the wraps, this sandwich was served on a multigrain rustic roll. I loved every part of this sandwich and thought it would make the perfect lunch for the office or a fall road trip. The apple slices added a tart contrast to the savory turkey and Dijon mayonnaise, while the nutty, grainy bread tied all the flavors together. It was also heartier and more filling than many of the wraps, even though it was less expensive in most cases. I thought that made this sandwich the best value by far. The best wrap from Trader Joe's was the tarragon chicken salad wrap. Erin McDowell/Business Insider It cost $5.49, excluding tax. The wrap was stuffed with thick chunks of chicken and romaine lettuce. Erin McDowell/Business Insider This wrap reminded me slightly of a chicken Caesar wrap, but had even more flavor. The tarragon's fragrant flavor balanced the fresh notes of the lettuce and mayonnaise, while the almonds added the ideal amount of nuttiness and crunch. It had a great depth of flavor and kept me full all day. However, it was also one of the highest-calorie wraps I tried, so keep that in mind if you're trying to reduce your intake. That said, based on flavor and size, I thought this wrap was a great value for the money, and I'd definitely buy it again. Editor's note: This story was originally published in April 2025 and most recently updated in May 2026. Read the original article on Business Insider