Straits, States, and Static

Straits, States, and Static

Verse 1

In the narrows where the tankers crawl, The gates swung shut and the radios drawl. Steel hulls scarred, crews pray through the night, Prices climb like sirens, red in the light. “The greatest challenge,” the watchers cry, As Asia stares at a thinning sky. Back channels open, old foes get a call, Fertilizer, gas, and metals feel the fall.

Sources:

• 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis – Wikipedia
• The Global Price Tag of War in the Middle East – World Economic Forum
• What the closure of the Strait of Hormuz means for the global economy – Dallas Fed
• How Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz Affects the US – FactCheck.org
• Why it's so hard for world leaders to bring down oil and gasoline prices – NPR

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Chorus

World on a wire, engines run on doubt, Straits are burning, states are shouting out. Power flickers, markets shake the floor, Lines grow longer, truth can barely roar. Hold that course while thunder drowns the shore, Who’s at the wheel? We’re not sure anymore.

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Verse 2

A promise to wind down scrawled on the feed, While boots hit the tarmac and war funds bleed. Barrels at sea get a last-minute pass, Allies can buy to cool down the gas. “Use their oil against them,” the money men say, But strategy smokes, then drifts away. Signals split like a broken guitar, Peace in the post, more troops in the car.

Sources:

• Trump's Mixed Messages on Iran: 'Winding Down' the War – US News & World Report
• Trump administration lifts sanctions on millions of barrels of Iranian oil – Washington Post
• Why the Trump administration is easing sanctions on certain Iranian oil stockpiles – CNN
• Trump's mixed messages on Iran – NPR Politics Chat

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Chorus

World on a wire, engines run on doubt, Straits are burning, states are shouting out. Power flickers, markets shake the floor, Lines grow longer, truth can barely roar. Hold that course while thunder drowns the shore, Who’s at the wheel? We’re not sure anymore.

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Verse 3

A shuttered state leaves airports to choke, Agents walk off, the rest run broke. Hometown hubs drown in hours-long lines, Spring breakers stranded beneath glass signs. A threat to send badges that don’t fit the role, As jet fuel spikes punch holes in the whole. United cuts wings, the halls echo and ring, Recess be damned, let the phone still sting.

Sources:

• What's ahead as Trump threatens to send ICE agents to airports – CNN
• TSA wait times are unpredictable amid government shutdown – NPR
• Trump Says ICE Agents Will Deploy to Airports Amid Funding Impasse – TIME
• Inside the Shutdown Stalemate Crippling TSA and Airports – TIME
• US says it may be forced to shut down some airports over funding standoff – CNBC

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Chorus

World on a wire, engines run on doubt, Straits are burning, states are shouting out. Power flickers, markets shake the floor, Lines grow longer, truth can barely roar. Hold that course while thunder drowns the shore, Who’s at the wheel? We’re not sure anymore.

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Verse 4

Havana holds its breath by a candle’s glow, A plant coughs once, then the grids let go. Again this month, the island goes black, Surgeons stand still, then stagger back. They blame a blockade, ships turned away, The wells run dry, the nights grow gray. A lifeline cut when a neighbor fell, Whispers of takeover ride the swell.

Sources:

• Cuba begins to restore power after third nationwide collapse in a month – NPR
• Cuba plunged into second nationwide blackout in less than a week – CNN
• 'Can't live like this': Cuba hit by second nationwide blackout – Al Jazeera
• Cuba begins to restore electricity after nationwide power grid collapse – CBS News
• Cuba's power grid collapses for the 3rd time this month – CNBC

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Verse 5

A gavel drops on a king of the feed, A deal “on hold” that misled the breed. Shares went slipping on the weight of a word, A record storm in a verdict heard. No scheme ordained, but the mark is there, Appeals on deck, regulators stare. A lesson in markets and megaphone might— When you move the needle, you’d better be right.

Sources:

• Elon Musk Twitter verdict – CNBC
• Jury finds Elon Musk misled investors during Twitter purchase – NPR
• Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders before 2022 buyout – Bloomberg Law
• Musk misled Twitter investors before 2022 buyout, jury says – Fortune
• Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders ahead of acquisition – CNN Business

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Bridge

Tweets and fleets, grids and gates, Fortunes swing on fragile fates. Oil and toil, sparks and smoke, One more turn and the string might choke.

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Final Chorus

World on a wire, engines run on doubt, Straits are burning, states are shouting out. Power flickers, markets shake the floor, Lines grow longer, truth can barely roar. Ride the feedback, punch through the roar, Hands on the wheel—kick down the door. If the lights go out, we’ll sing even more, Over the static, we become the core!