Ben Shapiro, the American right-wing political commentator, had a well-publicized spat on air with interviewer Andrew Neil last week and stomped off in the huff. He’s not that well known to Brits but in the US he has more than 2 million Twitter followers, 600,000 YouTube subscribers, and his videos rack up millions of views.

Born 15 January 1984 12.57pm Burbank, California, he was a precocious student, becoming the youngest nationally syndicated columnist at 17. His views are the usual toxic and erratic pot-pourri of the conservatives – against abortion even for rape and incest; against gun law reform, off the wall about transgender and same sex marriage, as well as views on racism and Muslims. He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News until he fell out with them in 2016. He wasn’t for Trump.

He has the usual ‘shock jock’ enraged Mars Pluto conjunction in his case in Scorpio sextile an intense 8^th house Mercury in Capricorn and Neptune Jupiter in Sagittarius. So he packs a fair punch behind his angry words. His changeable Gemini Moon opposes Uranus and Venus in Sagittarius which will exacerbate his tendency to swing around emotionally. His Moon is also a singleton and conjunct the North Node so he is designed for a public career with an appreciative audience.

His opinionated 9^th house Sun is unaspected, making him an independent spirit, an-island-unto-himself type, with high self-esteem and fairly self-centred.

His Mars Pluto is moving by Solar Arc to conjunct his Uranus in late 2022/23 which will be hugely disruptive for him on the relationship front but also in terms of his relationship with the public. He’ll switch tack in 2020/21 with tr Uranus square his midheaven but looks as if he’ll be around in a high-profile capacity for at least another decade. Although 2020/21 will be challenging with tr Pluto conjunct his Sun as well as tr Saturn at the start of 2020.

Andrew Neil, with whom he crossed swords, is a British journalist, former editor of the Sunday Times and an executive on Sky TV, now chairman of the right-wing Spectator magazine, amongst others and presenter of BBC political TV programmes. Born 21 May 1949 9.45am Paisley, Scotland, he’s a stubborn final degree Sun Taurus square Saturn in Leo; with a fearsomely determined Mars in Taurus square Pluto; with his Sun and Venus in Gemini trine a lucky Jupiter in Aquarius. He has stamina and staying power with so many Fixed planets and is a formidable opponent in discussions.

His Mars in Taurus square Pluto clashes with Shapiro’s Saturn in Scorpio so it was never going to be sweetness and light. And Shapiro’s equally trenchant and hostile Mars Pluto squares Neil’s Leo Ascendant which would also raise hackles on both sides.

Uber, the transportation network, had a disappointing launch on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday but no one seems overly worried given that Facebook also slid when first traded. The company has lived through multiple scandals and running criticism but appears to be holding firm.

The co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned in 2017 over the climate of sexual harassment within the firm but remains a large shareholder and board member.

He looks less than delirious at the moment with his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct his Mars and the next several years look like a bumpy ride though he has fingers in various pies so it may not all be Uber. He looks exceptionally successful financially in 2022/2023 from tr Pluto trine his Jupiter.

The CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, born 28 May 1969 in Teheran, looks tense and irritable this year with tr Uranus conjunct his Saturn in Taurus, but is forging ahead confidently in 2020/21 with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter/Pluto midpoint and even more so come 2021/2022 with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter, so presumably it’ll all come right given time.

Though the original company chart, 1 May 2009 looks swampy and undermined in this year and next with tr Neptune opposition the Saturn; and still wobbling in 2022/23 with tr Neptune conjunct its Uranus.

Freddie Starr, once the highest-paid entertainer in Britain, who at one point had yachts, fast cars, a helicopter, and a Grand National- winning racehorse, has died in poverty. A dissolute and manically unpredictable comedian he rampaged through five failed marriages, with six children whom he rarely saw, had a coke and drink habit, and was eventually bankrupted by a libel case he lost after he was accused of interfering with an underage girl. No charges were brought but with his legal bill at nearly £1 million he fled to Spain and died overweight, unkempt and penniless.

Born 9 January 1943 in Leeds with a violent, alcoholic father, he had a tough childhood which included a long spell in hospital. He was a Sun Capricorn opposition Jupiter in Cancer; with an Air Grand Trine of Venus Mercury in Aquarius trine Uranus Saturn in Gemini trine Neptune, formed into a Kite by Venus Mercury opposition Pluto making controlling, influential Pluto the driving planet.

An Air Grand Trine would make him cold and overly detached emotionally; Saturn Uranus can be autocratic; a strong Pluto in a Fixed sign can arouse hostile resistance; and his Sun Jupiter expects too much too quickly. An unaspected Mars usually leads to constant activity, can be self-centred and uncompromising and tends to act in an unrestrained way.

Given his background he achieved a good deal. Just a pity his temperament didn’t help him listen to advice, teach him self-discipline or allow him to be organised by a more level headed partner.

Danny Baker, an English comedy writer and radio presenter has been fired by the BBC for tweeting about the new Sussex baby with a photo of a chimp dressed up in a top hat. The jury is out as to whether it was a piece of mind-boggling stupidity or racism. His excuse was he was trying to draw an analogy between the media fuss around the Royals and animals in captivity. Whichever the BBC had little choice.

Born 22 June 1957 9am Deptford, England, he has a friendly 11th house Cancer Sun and an explosive, reckless Mars Uranus in Leo in his 12^th trine Saturn in Sagittarius; as well as an excitable Aries Moon trine Pluto and opposition Neptune.

At the moment he has his Secondary Progressed Mars exactly almost to the minute of a degree square his Saturn for a car-crash moment; with tr Uranus this year moving in square to his Mars and Uranus, plus their midpoint which looks nerve-stretched and over-reactive. This year as well, not exact, an emotionally exact tr Pluto square his Moon.

Tr Uranus is crossing his midheaven at the moment for a sudden and surprising change of direction career-wise; and tr Pluto and soon tr Saturn will be wading through his 6^th house of work for the next several years which sounds like an uphill struggle and then some.

His Solar Return for June 2018 to June 2019 looks downbeat with the Sun opposition Saturn; plus an intense Mercury in the communication 3^rd house opposition Pluto square Moon in the 6^th house of work leading to misspeaks. And a disruptive Venus opposition Mars square Uranus in the 12^th – sudden surges of misplaced enthusiasm.

His Solar Return for June 2019 to 2020 looks worse with a knocked-off-track Uranus in the 10^th; and a completely log-jammed and frustrated Mars Mercury opposition Pluto Saturn in the 6^th; with a financially worrisome Neptune in the 8^th.

There’s no obvious road back from this kind of catastrophic foot-in-mouth blunder.

Donald Trump Jnr, apparently not the sharpest tool in the box, has been subpoena-ed by the Republican led Senate Intelligence Committee to appear for additional closed-door testimony as part of their Russia probe. Mueller decided he didn’t have the wit to be part of a conspiracy with Russia; but Democrats have been saying they believe he lied under oath at his last committee hearing in 2017 which would be a crime. Though its not clear whether his lawyers will allow him to testify.

Born 31 December 1977 5.20 pm (memory) West Palm Beach, Florida, he’s a very Jupiterian Capricorn with his Venus – and widely Sun as well as Mercury in Sagittarius all opposition Jupiter in slippery Gemini on his Ascendant. Plus his Mercury is conjunct Neptune which has a tendency to evasiveness.  With his Pluto in the grandstanding 5^th house as well as wayward Uranus which is conjunct his Sun/Moon midpoint, so he demands attention and likes freedom in relationships. Not a settled marriage prospect.

He looks panicked and uncertain exactly now (early April to 20 May) with tr Pluto square his Saturn/Neptune midpoint – Ebertin describes this as depression or torment.  That influence returns early 2020 and off and on till late year. He is getting jolted as crises blow up in this June, and that again repeats this fall and into 2020.  Tr Pluto is now moving through his 8^th house  for a decade plus ahead which can be very stuck and trapped especially financially; tr Saturn won’t improve matters as it now starts to follow suit through his 8^th until early 2022. Even without the financial effect, it always feels dark and heavy have outer planets moving through the 8^th.  2020/2021 look scary, high-risk, extremely stressful and blocked with tr Pluto square his Sun/Mars midpoint and opposing his Progressed Mars.  2020 from mid year also has the high-insecurity, shocking tr Uranus square his Mars and that runs into 2021.

If his birth time is sound then this July till September looks more than edgy with his father as tr Uranus opposes their composite Moon, repeating in 2020; with worse to follow in 20221/22 as tr Uranus squares the composite Saturn and opposes Neptune.

Junior’s relationship with Jared Kushner looks on a straight downhill slide in 2020 from April onwards; and that’s a point where Jared himself looks mighty jangled as tr Uranus square his Mars.

If there were to be a flare up between Iran and the USA, the two main opponents in the Middle East, Israel would inevitably be involved. Already the attacks from Gaza on Israel are being seen as an Iranian attempt at distraction using their Hamas proxies. if Iran’s oil lifeline is all but cut off dealing another blow to an already disintegrating economy, the regime could strike back possibly first at U.S. forces in Iraq.

Warren Getler, a journalist on national security affairs writes in Haaretz: ‘Iran is laying trip-wires for a violent, costly escalation. America’s response will be determined by a besieged president, an administration led by anti-Iran hawks and a pre-occupied Congress.’ ‘Were it to transpire, make no mistake, this would be a very big war, one that could rapidly escalate into a conflict that would unfold in a much more violent and costly way than the two Gulf Wars involving the United States and Iraq from previous decades.’

The First Gulf War started with Saturn at 20 degrees Capricorn (same as now) and hitting on the USA’s fanatical Mercury opposition Pluto during the course of the conflict. The Iraq 2003 War started with tr Saturn in Gemini opposition Pluto was triggering the USA’s bellicose Mars in Gemini.

Israel’s chart looks highly unsettled as tr Uranus squares the 10^th house Moon come 20^th of this month into early June; and then again late October/early November and again in 2020. And is under considerable challenges with tr Pluto trine its incredibly fixed 8^th house Taurus Sun at the moment and on and off till late 2020, as well as tr Pluto square the Ascendant and in 2021/22 opposition the midheaven – so a longish period of intense strain, forced changes to their image and direction. It’s not a country which will change or transform easily since its instinctive reaction is to bunker down and dig in its heels. It does have formidable powers of resistance. Though in addition to the above, tr Uranus will square the Moon this year, then Pluto in 2021, then Saturn in 2022, conjunct the Israel Sun in 2024/25 and square Mars in 2025/6 – and that will be an exceptionally rough ride with Uranus rocking the boat and forcing through change, some of it violent and with high insecurity. 2024 and on look peculiarly high-risk with a Solar Arc Mars square the Israel Pluto and then Saturn.

The relationship chart between Israel and Iran 1906 does indicate this month and July to September as on high alert with November/December also highlighted and so on into 2020. [Though NB – country relationship charts aren’t always a good indicator of war.]

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-how-the-war-between-america-and-iran-will-start-1.7215695

The Middle Eastern war drums are beating louder – again – with John Bolton in Washington stoking up the rhetoric – again – for an attack on Iran; and the Iranians saying they may now back away from the nuclear restriction deal. This is their response to Trump’s shock move a year ago against the advice of his own military and security chiefs to break the deal. Arguably he did so not because it was ineffective – international inspectors were adamant that Iran was complying to the letter – but simply out of envy and resentment of Obama for whom it represented the single biggest foreign-policy achievement of his time in office.

Iran is suffering under crippling sanctions and the USA is standing firm on imposing secondary sanctions on any European companies that seek to trade with Iran. The US has declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group and announced the dispatching of an aircraft carrier and bomber taskforce to the Middle East.

The relationship charts between the USA and Iran 1906 and 1 February 1979 do look on high alert at the moment, later in the year and into 2020 with tr Uranus in an explosive square to the composite Mars and tr Pluto sextile Uranus on one; and tr Saturn putting up blocks and causing aggravation on the other.

All is not harmony in DC and the main US principals don’t appear to be singing off the same hymn sheet. Pompeo especially is in an undermining slide with Bolton until the end of this administration; and is at daggers drawn with Trump with ructions through the middle of this year and worse in 2020. Pompeo’s Term chart as Secretary of State indicates high tension especially July to September and again in 2020.

Bolton looks frustrated and trapped this year from a variety of influences though he’ll barge ahead bullishly nonetheless. His relationship with Trump isn’t showing signs of strain until 2020.

On the astrocartography Iran is not a winning zone for Pompeo, 30 December 1963 1.32pm Orange, CA since it puts Mars on his IC; and is fairly trapped and very expensive for Trump putting his Saturn Venus and Pluto in the 8^th there.

The Iran 1906 chart looks in panicky-failure mode this year; though with a worrisome gung-ho reckless Solar Arc Mars opposition Jupiter in about nine months’ time.  The 1979 chart looks hugely unsettled, with possibilities of violence or major disruptions come 2020.

*Add On: Different take on Iran and the deal – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/08/trump-right-iran-deal-dead-time-contemplate-unthinkable/

Amy Schumer, the stand-up comedian and actress, was also delivered of a baby boy on Sunday night at 10.55pm in New York.

He arrived with an enthusiastic Jupiter in Sagittarius exactly on his Ascendant opposition his Mars in Gemini conjunct the Descendant and his Taurus Sun in the entertaining, playful 5^th house, so there’ll be nothing shy and retiring about him either.

He has his Gemini Moon closely conjunct his mother’s Gemini Sun for a good connection and she may have a Taurus Moon which would, along with her Mars, tie into a lively connection with his Sun.

Amy’s husband, farmer and chef Chris Fischer, 19 August 1980, who has admitted being on the autistic spectrum is a Sun Leo square Uranus which won’t always sit comfortably with the baby’s Sun, but Chris’s Jupiter in Virgo definitely will. And in general having a farmer/chef for a father will be a cinch for a Taurus.

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More jeopardy for Trump may come from legal actions by state attorney generals, especially in New York, than from Mueller. At present there are 51 multi-state lawsuits against the Trump administration including New York where it has led the group. They do not answer directly to William Barr and unlike Mueller can’t be fired by the president and investigations of Trump-linked interests could dog the president, his family and his associates for years, including after his departure from office.

The state’s financial fraud laws give the attorney general “incredible power” to demand documents and records, said one commentator. “New York is in a unique position to lead a lot of these investigations. Number one, they have the resources to take Trump on, and number two, they have the location where Trump is potentially most legally vulnerable.”

“Trump has decades of complex and shady business deals that make for a target-rich environment,” said Eric Soufer, a senior counsel.

Leading the pack is the new AG for New York Letitia James, 18 October 1958, who is a Sun Venus in Libra, a sign much connected with the law and justice, with a fearsomely determined and courageous as well as ruthless Mars in combative Gemini square Pluto.

Her Saturn in Sagittarius sits exactly on top of Trump’s Moon exactly and opposition his Sun and Uranus so she’ll have a dampening effect on his morale as her criticisms hit home; with her Pluto conjunct his Ascendant threatening to take the shine of his image.

Their relationship chart has a power-struggling composite Sun Pluto conjunction. And an explosive Mars Uranus in a nerve-wracked square to Neptune which is being heavily restricted by transiting Saturn hard aspects through this year; with more discouragement from tr Saturn square the composite Jupiter in 2020. Though the truly major upheavals don’t come until 2023 onwards when tr Uranus moves to square the composite Pluto Sun.

Trump does look deflated about his finances as if he’s lost his mojo with tr Saturn square his 2nd house Jupiter on and off till late this year; with a major panic attack on the cash front come late 2021 when his Solar Arc Saturn is conjunct his Neptune. 2021/22/23 are years which will see tr Neptune square his Moon and then his Sun which will be a longish phase of uncertainty and low morale.

Letitia James herself looks under considerable pressure for the next three years and isn’t winning as much as she’d hoped.

The other legal warrior now in charge of the federal investigation into Trump’s business and campaign finances in SDNY is the new Number Two prosecutor Audrey Strauss, 7 October 1947, who is hugely experienced and cut her teeth working on the Independent Counsel’s staff on the Iran-Contra scandal.   She’s an even more ferociously determined Sun Neptune in Libra with Saturn Pluto conjunct as well as Mars in Leo. Her Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Sun and opposition his Moon so she’ll be an unsettling force; and her heavyweight Leo planets all fall in his 12^th midway between his Mars and Pluto, so it’ll be a battle royal.

Their relationship chart has a fight-to-the-death composite Sun Mars Pluto with Pluto conjunct Saturn – that starts to rock n roll from this July onwards for several years ahead.