🥗 Axios PM: Salad bowl slump

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🦾 Breaking: Apple is planning a smart-home push to reboot its AI offerings, "including robots, a lifelike version of Siri, a smart speaker with a display and home-security cameras," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports (gift link).

• A tabletop robot that serves as a virtual companion, slated for 2027, will be the centerpiece of the AI strategy, Gurman adds.
• The home-security system will use facial recognition to help automate household functions — for example, automatically adjusting the lights and music for a certain family member.

President Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders today that he'll use Friday's summit in Alaska to get a better understanding of whether a full peace deal with Russia is possible, sources familiar with the hour-plus call tell Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo.

• This is a concrete target that aligns with the objectives of Ukrainians and Europeans, who had been unsure what Trump actually hoped to achieve. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rebuffed the idea of an unconditional ceasefire.
• Trump doubled down later in remarks at the Kennedy Center, saying Putin must agree to a ceasefire at their summit or face "very severe consequences."

Trump previously downplayed the likelihood of major breakthroughs in Alaska, calling it a "feel-out meeting."

• But French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who were also on the call, both confirmed afterward that Trump said he wants to try to obtain a ceasefire.

📞 Zelensky told Trump on the call that "Putin cannot be trusted," one of the sources said.

• That source said Trump told the leaders that he's not from the region and can't make any final decisions on territory, but he thinks land swaps will be needed as part of a peace deal.
• "Trump said it's Vladimir and Volodymyr who have to discuss territories with each other, not him," the source added.

Behind the scenes: The other source said Macron took "very tough" positions and told Trump "a meeting is a very big thing to give to Putin." The source added: "Trump didn't like that."

• An administration official told Axios: "Yes, the president hasn't been happy about Putin as of late. But that's gone. He's optimistic. ... We're optimistic. But we're not crazy. This is hard."

Go deeper.

Fast-casual restaurants are seeing sales slow as cost-conscious consumers — especially Gen Z — grow wary of the economy, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports.

• Why it matters: While fast food has already been hit by low-income consumers pulling back, fast-casual chains usually fare better thanks to higher-income customers. But Bank of America says rising strain on low-income households is now dragging down the entire industry.

🌯 Sweetgreen, Chipotle, Cava and Wingstop — which were all growing well at the end of last year — have seen same-store sales fall sharply the last two quarters. All except Cava are now negative.

• Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman says spending pressures have lasted longer than expected, and "the consumer is not in a great place overall."

Keep reading.

1. 🫗 Booze is being shunned by a record share of Americans, a Gallup poll out today found. Go deeper.
2. 🍓 Amazon plans to expand its same-day grocery delivery service to 2,300+ cities and towns by the end of the year — more than doubling its current footprint. Go deeper.
3. 🚨 President Trump said he plans to extend the federalization of police in D.C. beyond the initially set 30 days. Trump's federalization of police has a 30-day limit unless Congress acts to extend it. Go deeper.

Just ahead of Peanuts' 75th anniversary this fall, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang will head to sleepaway camp for the franchise's first new musical in nearly four decades.

• The special, "Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical," will premiere Friday on Apple TV+.

✏️ Co-writer Craig Schulz, son of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, will revive the comic strip's beloved characters.

• The crew will embark on the coming-of-age experience of leaving and missing home during a stay at Cloverhill Ranch.

💬 "My motivation has always been to preserve and enhance my dad's legacy," Craig Schulz told AP.

• "It's really an honor to get to play with these kids."

Keep reading.

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