📊 Lebanon, Landlords, and Dollar Decline

Parish bulldozed, pandemic lawsuit, and purchasing power

May 03, 2026

Greetings! Happy World Press Freedom Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🌎 GLOBAL NEWS

🇱🇧 South Lebanon is being remade by force. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 7 people in southern Lebanon. The timing matters, as a ceasefire has been in place since April 17th, but looks more like punctuation than peace. Israel’s military also demolished parts of a Catholic convent in Yaroun. The convent had been empty because residents were already displaced. Gladys Sabbagh, superior general of the Basilian Salvatorian Sisters, said the compound included a school and a clinic. The Israeli military said it damaged a house while destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. Lebanon’s Catholic Church rejected claims that the site was used militarily. Israel also issued new evacuation warnings for nine southern villages. Its military said it carried out about 50 airstrikes in 24 hours. Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli troops with a drone. Israel has been leveling neighborhoods near the border and says it is targeting Hezbollah outposts. To be clear, annexation and occupation are illegal per international law. Irredentist Greater Israel politics turn military buffers into territorial appetite; alas, Lebanon’s sovereignty is not a footnote to Israel’s security doctrine.

🇩🇪 Trump wants fewer troops in Germany. President Trump says America will reduce troop levels in Germany far beyond a planned withdrawal of 5K. That is not just a military adjustment. It is a message. Germany hosts major American facilities, including Ramstein Air Base and headquarters for American European and Africa commands. It also hosts American nuclear weapons. Pentagon officials said the initial 5K drawdown followed a force posture review. But one defense official said military branches learned about the decision in real time. Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius has been seeking clarity. The pullback comes as Europe is already worried about Russia. It also comes as Germany has increased defense spending and allowed American forces to use its bases and airspace during the Iran war. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and Republican Rep. Mike Rogers said they were very concerned. They warned the decision could undermine deterrence and send the wrong signal to Vladimir Putin. A brigade-sized withdrawal may not break combat power. It can still weaken confidence. In alliance politics, presence is policy. Absence is policy too.

🇺🇸 LOCAL NEWS

🏚️ Landlords want pandemic compensation. Landlords are asking the federal government to pay for pandemic-era losses, despite record rents and real estate investor profits. The case reaches back to the federal eviction moratorium, a policy barred many evictions for nonpayment from September 2020 through July 2021. Matthew Haines, a Texas landlord, claims it cost him and his investors more than $1M; he owns three rental communities with 240 units in Arlington and Irving. More than 1,500 property owners joined a federal lawsuit. They argue the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) violated the Fifth Amendment by denying them compensation. Plaintiffs include landlords who lost thousands and one who says losses exceeded $14.5M. They first lost in the Court of Federal Claims in 2022. They later won on appeal. They are now in settlement talks with the Justice Department. Landlords hope to recover as much as $1.5B. Tenant advocates push back. They note landlords also benefited from $46.5B in emergency rental assistance. The pandemic keeps governing from the grave. Old public health decisions are now invoices.

🚨 FEMA reverses some January cuts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering jobs back to some disaster workers let go in January. The move came in a court notice Friday. It affects term-limited staff whose contracts expired in the first three weeks of January. Those workers are part of FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE), comprising half the agency’s workforce. There are about 10K of them, working 2 to 4 year assignments, with contracts traditionally renewed to preserve disaster surge capacity. FEMA abruptly stopped renewing some contracts in early 2026. By late January, 159 CORE workers had not been renewed. A coalition led by the American Federation of Government Employees sued. It alleged the cuts were part of a broader plan to halve FEMA’s workforce. FEMA denied any blanket elimination plan. The reversal also follows reinstatement of 14 employees punished after publicly criticizing agency policy. The practical question is hurricane season. Disaster readiness cannot be rebuilt after the storm arrives.

🗂️ MISC

💰 The weak dollar is a hidden tax. The dollar’s decline is quietly making life more expensive. That sounds abstract until it hits groceries, travel, and imports. The dollar has fallen about 10% against other major currencies since President Trump returned to the White House. Economist Thomas Savidge called it a hidden tax. He said what the dollar can buy is shrinking. The American Dollar Index logged its steepest six-month drop in more than 50 years during the first half of 2025. A weaker dollar can help exporters. It can make American goods cheaper abroad. Big multinational companies can also benefit when foreign sales convert back into dollars. But most American businesses are not global giants. Smaller firms importing goods, materials, or components feel the squeeze faster. Gentell chief executive David Navazio said currency changes are raising costs across his overseas operations. Tariffs and war-driven fuel costs compound the pain. American travelers also feel it abroad. The dollar is about 16% weaker against the Mexican peso than in early 2025. Coffee shows the grocery problem. The dollar is down around 13% against Brazil’s real, while American coffee prices are up nearly 19% over the past year.

🎫 Spirit’s collapse becomes traveler homework. Spirit Airlines is gone, but its passengers still have work to do. The ultra-low-cost carrier shut down after 34 years. Now stranded travelers have to find seats and fight for refunds. Other airlines are offering rescue fares. American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are capping or reducing prices for affected travelers. The window is limited. Southwest’s offer is available only at airport ticket counters through May 6th. United is allowing online bookings for up to two weeks. American, Allegiant, Frontier, and Delta advertised reduced fares on routes Spirit once flew. Spirit says it will automatically process refunds for flights booked with credit or debit cards. Third-party bookings must go through those agents. Vouchers, credits, and points may have to wait through bankruptcy. The Department of Transportation suggests credit card chargebacks for services not rendered. Travel insurance may cover insolvency or service cessation. The National Consumers League says customers should keep receipts, confirmations, notices, and correspondence. A shutdown turns a cheap ticket into paperwork.