NASA selects Lockheed for spacecraft; Cowboys very busy off the field; D-FW airport among best for Internet

NASA announced it has selected Lockheed Martin to build the spacecraft for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Extended Observations satellite program. The contract is valued at $2.27 billion and will include the development of three spacecrafts as well as options for additional spacecrafts.

After three Black passengers alleged racial discrimination during an American Airlines flight, CEO Robert Isom wrote to employees detailing steps the airline would take to address discrimination. Isom said leadership wanted to address an "unacceptable incident" in which several Black passengers were removed from a flight over a complaint about "offensive body odor." CBS News has the story.

Talks began nearly a decade ago but went nowhere. This time, a merger between non-profits — the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors and the Arlington Board of Realtors — appears imminent. Both groups will vote on the measure July 10. Between the two, there are approximately 7,000 members and 40 employees. 

The Dallas Cowboys have partnered with Las Vegas slot machine company Aristocrat Gaming, which will have prominent in-stadium and concourse signage, and in-game branding throughout AT&T Stadium year-round. Dallas Innovates explains what it means.

America's Sweethearts, a documentary that showcases what it was like to be a 2023-2024 Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, is available on Netflix. "You could argue they're the No. 1 group of professional cheerleaders in the world, and I'm not even sure who's second," director and executive producer Greg Whiteley said.

Now there are two: Artisan Partners has joined Elliott Investment Management in seeking the ouster of Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan and a shake out of the Board. 

ChargePoint, a provider of networked charging solutions for electric vehicles, and LG Electronics have formed a partnership for future innovations in EV charging. The first output will be commercial charging solutions. LG opened a factory for advanced EV charger stations in Fort Worth earlier this year.

Just sayin': Wouldn't the former Center for Transforming Lives building be a great spot for the city to put its downtown Fort Worth Public Library? Lots of rooms, event space and central location at 512 W 4th Street. Wonder what City Council thinks?  

Allan Saxe, a noted UT-Arlington political science professor and philanthropist, passed away at 85. He taught for 54 years and estimates are he gave away up to $2.5 million, including his entire $500k inheritance.

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen said the videogame retailer plans to operate with “a smaller network and more value-added" items to boost sales and profitability.

The Motley Fool says buy Microsoft stock, a company with a foothold in the rapidly growing AI space. Read what else The Fool has to say in its weekly column.

U.S. home starts fell 5.5% in May to the lowest level in four years, the Census Bureau reported. Single-family rents have leveled off, up 3% year-over-year in April, according to CoreLogic. Rents for attached properties (condos) dropped 0.5% year-over-year in April.

Internet speed analysis firm Ookla ranks these seven airports as ideal for downloading the latest season of Bear or Bridgerton. The airports showing median 100+ Mbps Wi-Fi download speeds were D-FW International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, JFK International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

A federal judge sentenced Ray Anthony Shoulders, a Fort Worth pain clinic physician assistant, to seven years in federal prison for injecting amniotic fluid into patients’ joints to provide pain relief. Shoulders was indicted in July 2023 and convicted in January of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and 12 counts of healthcare fraud. U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means also ordered Shoulders to pay $614,235 in restitution. 

A Texas judge, Ada Brown, is expected to rule on a preliminary injunction about the FTC ban on non-competes July 3rd. An injunction would halt implementation of the rule until the legal issues are settled. The rule would impact 30 million U.S. workers and thousands of businesses. The FTC contends non-competes limit workers trying to find a new job within their industry, and stifle economic mobility. Business groups say they are necessary to protect trade secrets, encourage research and development, and foster growth.

The Supreme Court upheld by a vote of 7-2 a disputed tax on foreign business income. It said Congress has the constitutional power to tax people and companies on their share of undistributed corporate income.

Texas approved a rule making it mandatory that social media influencers disclose any paid political advertising. This follows a company secretly paying influencers to support Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding his 2023 impeachment trial.

Daily digit: $8 - The amount PNC Financial Services Group will charge as late fees for credit card payments. PNC is one of the first big banks to match the cap number set in a rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in March. That rule has been delayed by legal challenges, which makes PNC’s move unusual.

Correction: A snippet in Wednesday’s newsletter regarding Fort Worth council members proposing a pay increase to $20 for the city's minimum wage workers should have said the approximate cost of $117 million to the city would be “with a compression adjustment.”

Announcements:

• Carson Hearing Care: Adds Caroline Adams as Doctor of Audiology.

• Amon Carter Museum of American Art: Curator Maggie Adler will leave in mid-July to pursue personal projects.

• Le Méridien Fort Worth Downtown: Appoints Damian Lopez as executive chef and Reda Kolta as food and beverage director.

• Brackett & Ellis: Adds attorneys Zak Martinez and Marvin Morris as associates.

• Microsoft: Names Jason Hays a Business Project Manager - Azure Cloud Platform.