Under the Influence for Saturday, May 30, 2026

Blue Moon Sagittarian greetings!

May 30, 2026

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NOW AND UPCOMING on WOODRUFF.

I’m fascinated by the former Attorney General in Texas, Ken Paxton, who Trump endorsed (more like assigned) to go up against Dem darling James Talarico in November. Paxton is a litmus test for Trump. By endorsing someone so transparently corrupt, Trump is determining how far he can push the incredulity envelope. He’s also gauging the durability of the nastiest, most fuckery-ridden MAGA-ites in the country. Next week for paid subscribers, I’m posting my video delineation of Paxton’s chart and a small bit of Talarico’s. Theirs is a full Moon synastry and will be the most riveting race of the midterms, with Talarico’s solar Taurian tenacity spotlighting Paxton’s creepy-murky sex offender plea deal (Moon-Neptune conjunct in Scorpio) that he brokered in 2025. With Paxton’s lunar Neptune confluence in the crosshairs, be prepared for nonstop luridity.

WATCHING

AMC+ had this great deal running last month for 30 bucks for a year and without commercials. The latter is unheard of nowadays, where the greed from the big streamers is off the chain. Surfing around in the AMC app, I discovered The Newsreader, a three-season drama that has me barreling through a couple of episodes a night. The show is set in 1986 and tracks a successful female newscaster (Mindhunter’s Anna Torv) and a young male wannabe reporter (Sam Reid). She’s volatile and tightly wound, and he’s gay and closeted. Love blooms. The Guardian said of the show, “If this powerful Aussie drama were a US show, it’d be a smash hit.” This is true.

I’m fascinated by Reid, the Aquarian actor. Not just because he is gorgeous, but because he does this thing that many masterful Aquarian actors (Christian Bale and Evan Peters come to mind) can do, namely, convey complex, convoluted emotions within what seems to be a sterile, stereotypical character. It’s the kind of transformation that’s thrilling to watch.

LISTENING

The new Boards of Canada LP, Inferno. This is the first new project from the Scottish electronic duo since 2013. The ominous undertone to several tracks makes for a perfect soundtrack for the rest of 2026. (And that can still be a beautiful thing). Their landmark album, Music Has the Right to Children (1998) is one of the greatest album titles in history.