Early standouts from the first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary with the first 10 candidates jousting for the eventual prize appear to have been Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Amy Klobuchar.

Julian Castro, 16 September 1974 2.40 am (memory) San Antonio, Texas, is a New Moon in Virgo with a ferociously determined Mars Pluto in Libra. He’ll have highs and lows later this year with a lucky-break Solar Arc Jupiter opposition his Uranus in four months’ time, but also a couple of Neptune sinkers. Into 2020 he has tr Pluto conjunct his Jupiter/Neptune midpoint which is generally a no-no for elections – losses, plans not working out.

Cory Booker, 27 April 1969 1.10 am (memory) Washington, DC, is a Sun Taurus conjunct Saturn with a heavyweight Jupiter Pluto plus Uranus and Virgo Moon all in the 8^th – JFK and Merkel had/have full 8^th houses. He’s not looking happy at all through this year with disastrous missteps and failure in October/November. He’ll bounce more enthusiastically from early 2020 onwards.

Amy Klobuchar, 25 May 1960 Plymouth, Minnesota, is a New Moon in Gemini with a confident Jupiter in Capricorn trine Pluto and a disciplined, hard-edged Saturn in Capricorn square Mars in Aries. She has some lift across the New Year and will be pushing confidently in 2020; but she’s got the loss-making tr Pluto conjunct her Mars/Neptune midpoint this year and next as well as the dashed-hopes tr Neptune conjunct her Sun/Jupiter through till late 2020 as well.

Angela Merkel’s health is becoming a cause for concern with her second bout of severe shaking in public in a month. The first was put down to dehydration or heat stress but that doesn’t appear to be the case this time. She is under pressure also in German domestic politics with her coalition under strain after recent elections; and her successor as CDU leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, is being increasingly criticised.

Her chart is certainly showing signs of turmoil. Tr Pluto is square the 10^th house Neptune and opposition the 8^th house Uranus this year and next which will bring confusion, career losses and upheavals. Then 2020/2021 tr Pluto will oppose her Sun which will bring radical changes into her life with maximum pressure.

But really the key factor is tr Saturn moving through her low profile First Quadrant since 2016 and now in the nadir of the second house until early 2022. For many individuals that spells financial hardship, but it has a broader meaning of pulling away from outer ambition to pay more attention to personal matters. If the hint isn’t taken – and she would have been well advised to follow her initial thought of resigning some time back – then there are often physical symptoms of ill health which force a slow-down.

She also has her Solar Arc Neptune conjunct her normally resolute Mars, exact in seven months’ time, which will induce a panicky sense of failure and/or low energy.

Tr Saturn is also square her Midheaven on and off through this year and tr Uranus will be in a jolting opposition to her 10^th house Saturn across the New Year. And as if that wasn’t all enough her Secondary Progressed Moon is going through her 8^th for the next two years plus which is an intense and conflicted time which can feel like being in limbo or purgatory, swinging from extreme to extreme trying to establish a new set of priorities.

Her Solar Return from July 2018 to July 2019 has Pluto in the 6^th house of health opposition Sun which does suggest health pressures. The Solar Return July 2019 to 2020 has low energy Neptune in the 6^th.

She has formidable stamina and determination with her Mars trine Pluto and four planets in the 8^th but even she will run out of steam at some point.

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Ian Duncan Smith has been dragooned into the unenviable task of leading Boris Johnson’s campaign after a stumbling start. IDS, as he is known, a Eurosceptic right-winger, was leader of the Tories in the early 2000s until a vote of no confidence toppled him; and latterly a Cabinet minister under Cameron.

Born 9 April 1954 9.02 pm Edinburgh, Scotland, he’s a Sun Aries opposition Neptune square Uranus Moon in Cancer so a maverick, idealistic but not always sensible, impulsive, de-stabilising.

His Pluto in Leo conjunct his MC from the 9^th gives him strong opinions and it is in highly determined and inspirational Fire Grand Trine to Mars in Sagittarius trine his Sun. That Grand Trine focusses through a Kite onto Neptune in the 12^th which is none-too-practical – so a great many ideas but not always/often a solid end result.

It’ll be an interesting fit with Boris since IDS’s Mars opposes Boris’s Sun Venus in Gemini – so could get very heated. And IDS’s focal point Uranus Moon are on Boris’s midheaven which will certainly bring new ideas to the table from IDS about a radical change of direction. Though whether Boris’s is up for listening is another matter and he could find IDS’s unpredictability outstrips even his own.

The relationship chart is stark, chained-together by circumstance and not exactly easy with a composite Pluto in the 10^th which could lead to power struggles about who controls decisions. Pluto is trine Saturn and sextile Neptune which certainly lends ambition for a substantial project but could prove irksome – especially as evasive, unrealistic Neptune opposes the composite Mercury. Which Mercury is getting a sharp elbow from tr Uranus from July 4^th onwards which is likely to lead to outbursts. Plus there’s also rebellious Uranus in the 10^th so it won’t follow a straight path or be a smooth partnership.

IDS certainly has an extremely loaded relationship with Carrie Symonds with an explosive composite Sun opposition Uranus square Mars, with the Sun in a suspicious, doubt-ridden trine to Saturn Neptune.

He’s also not exactly on the same page as Lynton Crosby who was initially running the campaign – I don’t know whether he’s in or out. But there’s definitely aggravation in there and a nasty sinking feeling at the moment.

IDS looks fairly devastated at the moment with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun/Neptune midpoint until July 9^th which Ebertin describes as ‘a tragic illusion or deception’ and ‘suffering’ though he’s pushing ahead with confidence despite that with tr Pluto opposition his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint at the same time. Tr Uranus is conjunct his Venus in Taurus come July 4^th onwards for a few weeks – Uranus is a trickster planet and can go both ways, but given his Venus natally opposes Saturn in Scorpio, it does look like a considerable emotional upset. That’s the point where there may well be an eruption with Boris (see above). Late July he has tr Saturn opposition his Moon for a discouraging dip for a few days.

Judith Krantz who lead the way with “sex and shopping” fiction has died aged 91. She moved from ladies magazine journalism to novels fairly late, aged 50, but became an instant best-seller and was heavily promoted by her husband, a TV producer. Her 10 novels sold more than 85 million copies and most were made into TV series.

Born 9 January 1928 10.30am New York to ambitious careerist parents, father in advertising and mother a lawyer, who left her upbringing to nannies, she married in her twenties, and wrote for many years on fashion, before being prompted into romance novels.

She was a Sun Mercury in ambitious and creative Capricorn opposition Pluto, so determined when she got going. She had an adventurous and risk-taking Jupiter Uranus on her Ascendant in a volatile square to Mars in Sagittarius in the publishing 9^th. Her Venus Saturn in Sagittarius were also in the 9^th. Her flamboyant Leo Moon which likes to live the five-star way was trine Saturn and Mars and widely conjunct Neptune so her emotional life wouldn’t always be calm.

She wasn’t much rated by the critics but her readers adored her.

The horror sexual assault and murder of a vulnerable teenager by even younger teenagers has shaken Ireland as the seven week trial drew to a close. Two boys, unnamed for legal reasons, were found guilty of enticing Ana Kreigel to an abandoned farmhouse when they were 13, where they attacked and killed her.

Born 18 February 2004 in Siberia, she was adopted as a two- year old and evidently bullied for being different. At one point she also suffered from a brain tumour after which she suffered some memory and hearing loss. She was a Sun Aquarius with Mercury Neptune also in Aquarius and her Sun was conjunct Uranus in early Pisces. She had a tough mini Grand Trine of Uranus trine Saturn sextile Mars in Taurus which would give her courage but also attract difficult situations into her life. She also had a confident Jupiter square Pluto and trine Mars.  She was described as ‘unique and fun.’

When she died Solar Arc Pluto had moved to oppose her Saturn which is bleak enough; with tr Neptune hovering round the opposition to her Jupiter bringing dashed-hopes and conjunct her Solar Arc Uranus for stretched-nerves. The transiting Sun that day was exactly conjunct her Solar Arc Mars. Solar Arc Neptune was heading to conjunct her Sun; and tr Saturn was just reversing away from a trine to her Mars.

Reminiscent of the Bulger killings in the UK years ago. It is beyond tragic having gone through so much by the age of fourteen that she was then targeted by two psychopathic screw-ups.

E Jean Carroll, one of the USA’s most popular advice columnists, has written a book in which she says she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump in the mid 1990s. She said she told two friends at the time but was advised she’d be buried in lawyers if she reported it, so stayed silent.   No doubt this will go the way of the other manifold allegations against him, written off as fake news and fiction. So no one is going to be any the wiser.

Born 12 December 1943 she’s a Sun Sagittarius opposition Saturn in Gemini which falls across Trump’s Full Moon. She’s also got a volatile Mars Uranus in Gemini sextile Pluto North Node in Leo and inconjunct Mercury in Capricorn – giving her leadership abilities, making her hyper-active at a mental and communication level, tending to be scattered but ultimately designed to be a teacher or social enlightener.

Her Jupiter in entertaining Leo is conjunct Trump’s Mars so it is a high-energy interface; though her Saturn sitting on top of his Sun will have a seriously dampening effect on him.

On her personal chart at the moment her Solar Arc Saturn is conjunct her Mars which will accompany a deal of grief as she’ll no doubt be avalanched with denials and vituperation from the fan base. And while 2020 will have its moments of great elation as her Solar Arc Mars is conjunct her Jupiter, she’ll also have a run of uncertainty with tr Neptune square her Sun, and moving after that to conjunct her Sun/Saturn midpoint and finally square her Saturn in 2021/22.

There’s no absolute way of telling from the astrology about guilt or innocence but their relationship chart is certainly under slipping and sliding Neptune transits for the next three years. There’s a superficially sociable composite Sun, Venus, Jupiter; but also a composite Mars conjunct Node which is conjunct Saturn, giving rise to anger. Around the time the alleged incident took place in late 95/early 96 tr Saturn was then opposing the composite Sun, Jupiter, Venus – dampening good feelings.  And tr Neptune (conjunct tr Uranus) was opposing Trump’s Saturn Venus in Cancer. It was the time when he was climbing out of her near-bankruptcy phase.  See previous post 19th June below.

Jeremy Hunt’s rank-outsider status in the Tory leadership fight has jumped to a more hopeful possible with news of Boris Johnson’s plate-smashing fight with his girl-friend. There was always a risk that Boris would put his foot in it given his erratic, reckless and overly excitable tendencies.

Hunt, 1 November 1966, is a steadier Sun Venus in Scorpio square Jupiter in Leo and where before his nickname of ‘continuity May’ was deemed damaging, it may seem less of a handicap that he’s less volatile. Though he will have his moments with tumultuous and scattered Mars, Pluto and Uranus in Virgo square a Gemini Moon.

He looks strung-out till early July with tr Pluto conjunct his Saturn/Neptune midpoint. Then from July 10^th he picks up tr Pluto trine his Sun/Jupiter midpoint (unless a very early morning birth). This is mildly successful and Boris looks logjammed from the same time. Though Hunt is also feeling inferior, weak-willed thereafter and in a definite panic from mid August onwards till early 2020.

The problem with predicting this election, apart the usual ones and no birth time, is that while egos may yearn for No 10, common sense indicates that this is the worst of times, coming as it does with the chalice of hemlock that is Brexit.

Pic: Chris McAndrew.

Apple is rolling through tricky territory with sales of Iphones falling precipitately recently and the trade war with China hitting the company hard. Their massive operations in China have taken decades to set up, so any actions to relocate manufacturing facilities certainly wouldn’t happen overnight and would be a costly step.

The Apple 1 April 1976 chart is wobbling around uncertainly at the moment with Solar Arc Neptune opposition the Saturn now; although 2021/22 is when the pressure really bites as tr Neptune undermines the financial Venus then and there is a hardship, grinding-struggle tr Pluto opposition Saturn as well.

The Apple Nasdaq 12 December 1980 10 am New York chart is labouring through setbacks this year and next with tr Saturn conjunct Mars and square Pluto; with some lift in 2021 from Solar Arc Uranus square Jupiter, followed by a jolting down in 2021 with Solar Arc Uranus square Saturn – very rock n’ roll throughout the next two or three years.

Tim Cook, 1 November 1960, is worried this year with tr Neptune square his Mercury/Saturn midpoint; but is in a much worse predicament through 2020/21 with a devastating Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Neptune and then a blocked conjunction to his Sun; plus a discouraging Solar Arc Saturn square his Venus.  He looks on better form through 2023/24.

Hope Hicks, a Trump top communications aide for eighteen months in 2017/18 tap danced through seven hours of a house judiciary committee interrogation about her time in the White House, with White House lawyers accompanying her steering her away from answering questions 155 times. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said little was learned from her testimony and chairman Jerry Nadler said the blanket objection to answering questions would “not stand.” Some committee members said the next step is going to court and forcing Hicks and others to fully comply with subpoenas and answer questions.

Hicks, born 21 October 1988, is a Sun Libra sextile Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius with Mercury in Libra trine Jupiter and square Neptune so a good if evasive communicator.

Her relationship chart with Trump, like Sarah Sanders, is built on warm friendliness with a composite Sun Venus conjunction; though the composite Sun Venus is in an illusory and ultimately disappointing square to Neptune. There’s also a hard-edged, one-sided composite Mars trine Saturn; and a constant-change Uranus opposition Pluto. And her Saturn Uranus conjunct/opposition his Full Moon isn’t ideal.

There’s a definite frisson of uncertainty and worry on the relationship chart from tr Neptune opposition the Sun/Saturn midpoint till mid August and returning off and on next year; a discouraging tr Pluto opposition Saturn/Node from mid July for a few weeks and again late in the year. So there may be a further instalment of this or something similar later on.

Her own chart has Solar Arc Saturn Uranus square the Sun around now, though it may come later in several months, which is seriously jangled. She’s also got a repeat scarily-trapped tr Pluto conjunct her Mars/Pluto mid July to late August for a few weeks and again November/December this year. She’ll sag badly late September to mid November and again mid December to late January 2020 with a couple of Neptune transits to midpoints. She’ll get some uplift late year but will feel the pressure.