Dallas-based AT&T and Southwest Airlines took a major hit in this year's Axios Harris Poll examining the reputation of the most visible brands in America.

Why it matters: Many customers disapproved of changes Southwest is making to its business model and criticized AT&T over data breaches and a widespread outage last year.

What they found: Southwest dropped 12 spots between 2024 and 2025, landing at No. 73. Delta is ranked 48th, United is 69th and Fort Worth-based American Airlines is 74th.

• AT&T dropped 16 spots, to No. 78. Verizon and T-Mobile's rankings also dropped, though AT&T had the steepest decline.

What they did: Axios and Harris Poll have partnered since 2019 to rank the reputations of companies most on the minds of Americans using a three-part framework.

Winners: Toyota Motor Corp. rose eight spots to No. 4 this year. The company has 6,600 employees at its North American headquarters in Plano.

• JPMorgan Chase, which has a regional headquarters in Plano, jumped 16 spots to take No. 21.
• Both companies are among the "fastest risers" in the 2025 rankings.

Losers: PepsiCo, which has its Frito-Lay North America headquarters in Plano, fell 20 spots to No. 42 and is among the ranking's "fastest droppers."

Between the lines: For years, Southwest had a sparkling reputation for customer service, building a famously loyal following nationwide.

• But the airline's holiday season meltdown in 2022 exposed its outdated technology, resulting in a $800 million loss and $140 million fine from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Now, the airline is abandoning its well-known perks and changing its traveler experience to boost revenue.

Meanwhile: AT&T reported two data breaches last year — affecting nearly all cellular customers — and had a network outage in February 2024 that left thousands of customers without service.

• The FCC fined AT&T $57 million for "failing to reasonably protect its customers' location information" and reached a $13 million settlement with the company after concluding that it should have done a better job of protecting customer data shared with vendors.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that AT&T acquired parts of Lumen's consumer fiber-to-the-home business in 11 states only (not the whole company), and that this acquisition is expected to help AT&T reach its goal of 60 million locations.

AT&T has reached a $5.75 billion deal with Lumen to expand its consumer fiber network in several cities, including Denver, Las Vegas and Seattle.

Why it matters: AT&T says the acquisition will accelerate its fiber internet expansion.

• CEO John Stankey has set a goal of helping 25 million Americans get and keep access to reliable internet. The company is moving away from copper-wired landlines and focusing on wireless and broadband services.

Driving the news: AT&T announced the deal yesterday and said it will acquire "substantially all" of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber internet connectivity business in 11 states.

How it works: Fiber internet networks are complicated to build and maintain because they use small glass fibers to deliver internet service through light waves. 

• The networks are known to transfer information at faster speeds than traditional internet, which relies on electric signals sent over copper wires.

State of play: AT&T says the acquisition will help the company reach its goal of doubling their fiber footprint to about 60 million locations by the end of 2030.

• The company is adopting about 1 million of Lumen's consumer fiber subscribers.

What's next: The deal is expected to be finalized next year.

On this day in 2003, Swedish golfer Annika Sörenstam was the first woman in 58 years to compete in a PGA Tour event.

Why it matters: Sörenstam made history competing with male golfers at the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth.

• She was the No. 1 ranked woman golfer in the world at the time and missed the cut by just four strokes.

Driving the news: The Charles Schwab Challenge starts today at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

• Locals Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Si Woo Kim are competing — just weeks after the Byron Nelson, which Scheffler won.
• Gates open at 6:30am today for Round 1.

What they're saying: "We put women's golf on the map and even women's sports," Sörenstam said during a Fort Worth visit in 2023. "The only way to break the barrier is to try something new, and it doesn't always have to be 100% successful."

If you go: The tournament continues through Sunday. Daily grounds tickets start at $50.

• Tee times can be found here. The rounds will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Disney+.

🏈 HBO Max's "Hard Knocks" will feature the NFC East, including the Dallas Cowboys, this season. (WFAA)

🍈 The Kimbell Art Museum has acquired a rare Jean Siméon Chardin painting that was previously caught in the middle of a lawsuit between an auction house and a private buyer. (Fort Worth Report)

❌ Fort Worth ISD's trustees voted unanimously to close 18 schools over the next five years. (FOX4)

Law enforcement officials across North Texas have increased their enforcement of "click it or ticket" laws through June 1.

Driving the news: AAA estimates around 3.2 million Texans will take a road trip between today and Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.

Threat level: About 56% of people who died in a nighttime traffic crash in 2023 weren't wearing a seat belt, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

What they're doing: Texas law requires every passenger to wear a seat belt. Violators could pay up to $200 in fines and up to $250 plus court costs for driving with children who aren't properly restrained.

The intrigue: The Dallas Police Department's plans to participate in the campaign were met with criticism from some residents who say police should better enforce other common infractions, like texting while driving, running red lights and speeding in school zones.

The bottom line: "No matter what type of vehicle you drive, one of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.