Splashdown, Heatwave and Currency exchange rates

Splashdown after nine months: Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore are back

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of Space

What’s the ongoing story: NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday (March 18) after a nine-month-long stay at the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Dragon capsule sent to bring them back to Earth splashed down off the Florida coast, also carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is a Splashdown?

• Why Splashdown?

• What is the structural design of a spacecraft?

• How do spaceships work in space?

• What is an International Space Station?

• Discuss the physiological and psychological challenges faced by astronauts during long-duration space missions.

• What is the role of heat shields and re-entry technology in ensuring the safe return of astronauts from space?

• Sunita Williams has been a key figure in space exploration. Analyse the contributions of astronauts of Indian origin to international space programs.

Key Takeaways:

• On June 5, 2024, Wilmore and Williams set off on an eight-day test flight of the Boeing Starliner to the ISS. The goal was to test the Boeing spacecraft’s capabilities and provide NASA with an alternative (apart from the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX) to carry astronauts into Space.

• However, the spacecraft almost immediately experienced problems with its thrusters and propulsion system. Safety concerns led to its return to Earth without a crew, and the two astronauts remained at the ISS for 286 days. A planned SpaceX mission for their return was also delayed.

• On February 11, 2025, NASA announced that Williams and Wilmore would return in a flight-tested Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission with Hague and Gorbunov, instead of waiting for SpaceX to finish work on a new spacecraft for this purpose.

• Even though both NASA astronauts were stuck in space for nine months, the administration decided not to rush the mission but rather reassign the pair to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which arrived at the ISS last September. Crew-9’s mission was reduced from four astronauts to two to make room for Williams and Wilmore. On Sunday morning, Crew-9 bid a heartfelt farewell to their ISS colleagues after the arrival of their replacements, Crew-10.

Do You Know:

• It is the method favoured by American spacecraft – such as NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo – to re-enter Earth.
In a splashdown, the Space vehicle parachutes into an ocean or a large water body upon re-entering Earth. The low density and viscosity of water cushions the spacecraft against the impact of re-entry.

• One is the high speed at which the spacecraft is travelling. Landing in water results in a gentler impact compared to a terrestrial landing.
Secondly, due to the friction experienced upon re-entry, the spacecraft may experience up to 3,500° F of extreme heat.

• There is also the matter of convenience. Landing in a large water body removes the need to identify a suitable area and eliminates the risk of landing in a populated region. Many American launch sites are located along the coastline, with Space launches made close to water bodies as well.

• In comparison, Russian cosmonauts do not splash down but descend on land, since their launch sites, such as the Baikonur Cosmodrome, are located inland.

• Water landings also reduce the complexity of spacecraft design.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Astronauts to return: what delayed them, what we will learn

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering Similar Theme:
1. Which of the following technologies are used for safe re-entry and landing of space capsules?
1. Heat shields
2. Parachutes
3. Retro-propulsion systems
4. Ion thrusters
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1, 2, and 3 only
c) 2 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

IN PARLIAMENT

Govt defers sat-based tolling over ‘privacy concerns’, to go with barrier-free system

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

What’s the ongoing story: Taking into account concerns over security and privacy, the government has deferred the rolling out of its ambitious Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for toll collection.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the global navigation satellite system (GNSS)?

• What is GNSS system for toll collection?

• What is the difference between FASTag and GNSS?

• Analyse the advantages and challenges of satellite-based tolling in India.

• Discuss the feasibility of a barrier-free toll collection system in India. How does it compare to existing toll collection methods such as FASTag?

• How can emerging technologies like AI and Big Data improve toll collection systems in India while addressing privacy concerns? Suggest a way forward.

Key Takeaways:

• In a written reply in RS Wednesday, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “The Apex Committee and High-Level Empowered Committee
consisting of Experts from Industry and Academia, in view of security and privacy considerations, breach and overall operational control, have recommended further deliberations for Satellite based Tolling.”

• “Series of meetings have been conducted by the Expert committee and as per deliberation, it is proposed to proceed with corridor/stretch-based projects for ANPR FASTag system (AFS)-based Barrier Less Free Flow tolling,” he said.

• Under the GNSS, the toll collection system work with the help of satellites and on-board unit (OBU) fitted vehicles and the toll is calculated based on distance traveled. In Barrier Less Free Flow tolling system, there are no physical plazas. Vehicles can go through toll section and the toll will be deducted with the help of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras using FASTag.

• Sources said that the GNSS has been put on hold as a decision was taken that it will be rolled out only when India has its own complete satellite system as there are serious privacy concerns regarding individuals and vehicle data.

Do You Know:

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 to include provisions relating to GNSS-based electronic toll collection.

• The amendment makes a legal provision to earmark specific lanes to implement GNSS, and mandates the collection of toll through this new system.

• According to MoRTH, a pilot study for the implementation of GNSS-based tolling has been completed on the Bengaluru-Mysuru section of NH-275 in Karnataka, and the Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana.

• GNSS will allow toll or highway user fees to be collected without stopping the vehicle at a toll booth boom barrier in order for the FASTag barcode to be read.

• Vehicles can simply pass through designated GNSS lanes, which is seen as a long-term solution to congestion and pile-ups at toll plazas. A number of developed countries follow this system for efficiently collecting highway toll.
For GNSS to work, owners will have to get a non-transferable “on-board unit” (OBU) fitted in their vehicles. GNSS OBUs could ultimately come factory-fitted in new vehicles in the same way as many showroom owners now attach FASTag stickers to new cars rolling out of their premises.

• FASTag, which uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, was launched in India in 2015. It has been mandatory for the payment of user fee/ toll since February 2021, with a 100% penalty for cash or non-FASTag payments.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How navigation satellite-based tolling, live monitoring of plazas can lower wait times

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering Similar Theme:
2. Which one of the following countries has its own Satellite Navigation System? (2023)
a. Australia
b. Canada
c. Israel
d. Japan

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Heat and the hope

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: David S Jones Writes: As the equinox approaches and the Sun rises higher in the sky, people throughout the Northern Hemisphere wonder: How hot will it get? They have good reason to worry. 2023 had been the hottest year on record until 2024 left it far behind. 2025 is already off to a hot start.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is a heat wave?

• Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) criteria for Heat Waves?

• What is the present situation of Heat Waves in India?

• Why is India facing a prolonged heat wave?

• What is the Impact of these Heat Waves?

• What is an ‘urban heat island’ effect?

• Why are cities hotter than rural areas?

• Analyse the socio-economic and health impacts of extreme heat events.

• Evaluate India’s preparedness in adapting to rising temperatures and extreme heat events.

• Discuss the role of urban planning in mitigating heat stress and ensuring climate resilience.

Key Takeaways:
David S Jones Writes:

• Delhi experienced its warmest February in decades and Mumbai has already suffered a heat wave. The India Meteorological Department predicts that March might be the hottest on record. The heat will only intensify in spring and summer. People in India — and around the world — will die from the heat.

• Our continuing vulnerability to heat is a vexing problem. Humans have known that heat can kill for thousands of years. Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers believed that humans could not survive in the tropics.

• When Vasco da Gama ventured around Africa to India in the 15th century, Europeans recognised this error: Other humans did live in hot climates around the world. Europeans learned from them how to adapt their food, clothing, and daily activities to survive the heat — they did this in part by enslaving or indenturing people from Africa and India to labour for them.

• Scientists, meanwhile, gained growing respect for human resilience. They had long known that humans and other warm-blooded animals could generate heat to stay warm. In the 18th century, they learned that human bodies could also radiate heat through sweating and evaporative cooling.

• Scientific journals and popular magazines popularised great feats of heat tolerance, from baker’s girls who could walk into hot ovens at temperatures well over 100°C to a “human salamander” who entertained carnival-goers by sitting in an oven that was hot enough to cook a raw steak and eggs, which he then proceeded to eat.

• The relationship between humans and heat, however, had begun to change. Scientists in Europe and the United States realised by the early 1800s that cities were consistently warmer than the countryside around them — the “urban heat island” effect.

• Heat waves, once simply a natural phenomenon, are now a symptom of global warming. In the 1980s, scientists became confident that the combustion of fossil fuels fuelled a “greenhouse effect” and global warming.

Do You Know:

• David S Jones Writes—Heat waves received growing attention in the world’s newspapers. The Times of India regularly featured heat waves around the world. Heat in Australia in 1897 caused “severe suffering”. London in 1900 felt like “a witches’ caldron”. When Calcutta hit 40°C in 1905, horses, bullocks, and several Europeans died. Terrible heat struck Chicago, New York, London, and Budapest in 1928. Alwar city in Rajasthan set a record for the highest temperature ever measured in India, reaching 50.6°C in 1956. Phalodi broke this in 2016, hitting 51.0°C.

• A heatwave is basically a period of unusually high temperatures over a place. Thus, the threshold to declare a heatwave depends on the temperatures normally seen in that area in that time of the year.

• According to the IMD, a heatwave is declared when the “maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree C or more for plains and at least 30 degree C or more for hilly regions.”

• Based on departure from the normal temperature, a heatwave is when the departure is 4.5 degree C to 6.4 degree C, and a severe heatwave is declared when the departure is more than 6.4 degree C.

• Based on actual maximum temperature, the IMD says, a heatwave exists when the maximum temperature is greater than 45 degree C, and a severe heatwave when the temperature is over 47 degree C.

• IMD has a big network of surface observatories covering the entire country to measure various metrological parameters like Temperature, Relative humidity, pressure, wind speed & direction etc. Based on daily maximum temperature station data, climatology of maximum temperature is prepared for the period 1991-2020 to find out normal maximum temperature of the day for a particular station. Thereafter, IMD declares heat waves over the region as per its definition,” the weather body says.

• An urban heat island is a local and temporary phenomenon experienced when certain pockets within a city experience higher heat load than surrounding or neighbouring areas on the same day.

• Rural areas have relatively larger green cover in the form of plantations, farmlands, forests and trees as compared to urban spaces. This green cover plays a major role in regulating heat in its surroundings. Transpiration is a natural way of heat regulation. This is the scientific process of roots absorbing water from the soil, storing it in the leaves and stems of plants, before processing it and releasing it in the form of water vapour.

• On the contrary, urban areas lack sufficient green cover or gardens and are often developed with highrise buildings, roads, parking spaces, pavements and transit routes for public transport. As a result, heat regulation is either completely absent or man-made.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What are urban heat islands, and why are they worsening during summers?

📍Mercury soaring in parts of country: How a ‘heatwave’ is defined and measured, what makes it worse

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering Similar Theme:
3. What are the possible limitations of India in mitigating global warming at present and in the immediate future? (2010)
1. Appropriate alternate technologies are not sufficiently available.
2. India cannot invest huge funds in research and development.
3. Many developed countries have already set up their polluting industries in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering Similar Theme:
📍Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (2013)

EXPLAINED

In fresh attacks on Yemen’s Houthis, what is US seeking?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: The US this week conducted over 40 strikes across Yemeni territories — including the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, the northern Sadaa governorate, and the Hodeidah Port — in what it called “precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work-Yemen, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

• Who are the Houthis?

• Why Trump administration launched large-scale strikes on Yemen’s Houthis?

• What are Trump’s objectives?

• How are the Houthis positioned?

• What are the role of external actors such as the US, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East conflict.

• The Red Sea has emerged as a critical maritime security concern due to attacks on commercial and military vessels—Know the significance of the region in global trade and security

• Compare and contrast the policies of past US administrations regarding the Houthi conflict

Key Takeaways:

• US President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, addressed both the Houthis (Ansar Allah) and Iran, saying, “To all Houthi terrorists, your time is up and your attacks must stop…To Iran, support for Houthi terrorists must end immediately…” Two days later, Trump reiterated that the Houthi attacks “emanate from, and are created by Iran”, and declared that every shot being fired by the Houthis will be viewed as a shot fired from Iran, which would “suffer consequences”.

• The Houthis have responded with reciprocal escalatory rhetoric and claimed cruise and ballistic missile attacks on US warships in the Red Sea, including the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier and its strike group (the Houthis claimed three attacks on the carrier in 48 hours, on its Telegram channels).

• The Houthis’ casus belli is inextricably linked to the conflict in Gaza, which resumed in breach of the ceasefire on March 17, with a new Israeli military operation in Jabalia.

• Since December, 2023, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted shipping lanes, causing ships to go around the Cape of Good Hope (all the way below Africa), and a meteoric rise in insurance premiums for those that have continued to sail through the Bab-el-Mandeb (effectively the link between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean).

• The new anti-Houthi US operations reflect continuity in US policy. Former President Joe Biden had listed the Houthis as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in January 2024 (without re-designating them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, or FTO) and the US Navy had begun leading Operation Prosperity Guardian in December 2023.

• The American casus belli was always linked to the disruption in global and US shipping. Countering such disruptions (and enforcing the freedom of navigation) has historically dominated the US Navy’s mandate.

Do You Know:

• While the United States has backed the Saudi-led coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope against the Houthis since 2015, the first Trump administration’s direct military action in Yemen did not overbearingly focus on the Houthis.

• The United States Central Command’s public announcements between 2017 and 2020 reflected a focus on striking Al Qaeda and Islamic State targets in Yemen, rather than Ansar Allah. The latter were a more insular group at the time, focused on the civil war and belligerent Arab states. The action in the Red Sea across the last 15 months has evidently changed this, drawing the United States in militarily.

• The Houthis are veterans of weathering operations that primarily rely on airstrikes. According to the Yemen Data Project, the group withstood at least 20,000 airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition between 2015 and 2023. Moreover, apart from an art of war that relies heavily on mobility and small modular combat units, the Houthis have spent decades imbibing the lessons learnt by other groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah when fighting asymmetric wars against an adversary that can out-gun and out-spend.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Trump launches large-scale strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, at least 31 killed

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering Similar Theme:
4. Consider the following pairs: (2019)
Sea Bordering Country
1. Adriatic Sea : Albania
2. Black Sea : Croatia
3. Caspian Sea : Kazakhstan
4. Mediterranean Sea : Morocco
5. Red Sea : Syria
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Why euro is rising against dollar

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: On November 5, 2024, the day the US voted for its next president, the euro, which is the common currency of 20 countries (out of 27) in the European Union, was equal to 1.0933 US dollars.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are currency exchange rates? What determines them?

• Why did the euro fall in the first phase?

• What caused the reversal?

• Will this trend sustain?

• What is the impact on India?

• Discuss the macroeconomic factors leading to the appreciation of the Euro against the US Dollar.

• How do monetary policies of the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve influence currency fluctuations?

• Evaluate the impact of a stronger Euro on the Eurozone economy. How does it affect trade balances, inflation, and economic growth in the region?

• In the context of global financial stability, how do exchange rate fluctuations between major currencies like the Euro and the US Dollar impact emerging economies, including India?

Key Takeaways:

• This “exchange rate” between the top two currencies of the world — roughly 60% of all foreign exchange is held in US dollars and around 20% is held in euros — saw a sharp change between that day when Donald Trump won the election and the day he took the oath of office, January 20, 2025.

• The euro weakened (or lost value) against the dollar and the exchange rate of one euro fell to 1.0277 dollars (see CHART, source Google Finance). The fall prompted many to believe that euro was likely to hit a parity with the dollar — something it has done just three times since it was created in 1999.

• But since the inauguration, the euro has staged a sharp recovery and as of March 17, it was back at 1.0919 — almost the same level where it was on November 5.

• On the face of it, these changes, which require being measured in four decimal places, might appear minuscule. But the fact is that trillions of units of money exchanges hands based on this exchange rate, and at that level, even these minuscule changes can result in profit or loss running into millions for those who trade in currencies.

Do You Know:

• The exchange rate between two currencies essentially tells you which of the two currencies is more in relative demand. In this specific case, Americans and Europeans demand each others’ currencies for investing in each other’s region (either in stocks or government bonds) or for spending money in the other region (European tourists in America, for example) or buying goods and services made in the other regions (say, Americans buying a European car).

• If demand in Americans for euros outstrips the demand for dollars among Europeans, the exchange rate will reflect it by making euros more costly — that is, by making it “stronger” against the dollar. In such a scenario, a euro will start fetching more dollars. If the boot is on the other foot, the US dollar will gain and the Euro/Dollar exchange rate will “fall”.

• As Donald Trump won the presidency, the dominant view in the market was that his policy choices will supercharge the world’s largest economy, which was already growing much faster than all of its developed world cousins.

• This was an understandable reaction. Trump had promised tax cuts and deregulation during his campaign of “Making America Great Again”. Tax cuts would leave US consumers with more money to spend and US firms with more profits. Similarly, deregulation — read easing of official norms for doing business — would unleash the entrepreneurial spirits in the US, boosting overall productivity and production. Together these policy promises meant a buzzing economy where investors were set to make gains.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍ExplainSpeaking: The economic repercussions of Trump’s presidency

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering Similar Theme:
5. Which of the following can be potential consequences of a stronger Euro against the US Dollar?
1. Cheaper imports for Eurozone countries
2. Higher inflation in the Eurozone
3. Increased competitiveness of US exports to Europe
4. Lower earnings for European companies exporting to the US
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1, 3, and 4 only
b) 2 and 4 only
c) 1, 2, and 3 only
d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

SONIC WEAPON

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

What’s the ongoing story: Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has denied that his police forces used a banned ‘sonic weapon’ to disperse protesters in Belgrade.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are sonic weapons?

• How do sonic weapons function?

• Discuss their potential applications and ethical concerns surrounding their use in civilian settings.

• Examine the impact of non-lethal crowd control weapons, including sonic devices, on human rights and civil liberties.

• Should international regulations be strengthened in this regard?

Key Takeaways:

• In a statement, he said, “I have had the opportunity to see this weapon abroad, and it emits a strong, piercing sound. That sound was not heard on the streets of Belgrade on Saturday (March 15) night.”

• Serbia is currently witnessing mass protests against Vucic and his government over several issues, including allegations of widespread corruption and nepotism.

• According to some military experts, the authorities used a sonic weapon to produce a piercing noise to curb the protests. Under the country’s police law, the use of such a weapon is illegal.

Do You Know:

• Acoustic or sonic weapons are devices that deliver very loud sounds over long distances. They can be designed to emit painful audible or inaudible sound waves. These devices can also be used to act like voice amplifiers to deliver voice messages or other sounds.

• Although sound amplifiers have been around for centuries, the use of this technology for crowd-control purposes goes back to the early 1990s. In 2004, the United States military for the first time used specialty devices that were able to project loud sounds over very long ranges in Iraq.

• Such weapons usually comprise hundreds of modern transducers — an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another — to create highly concentrated and amplified sound. “This fairly narrow beam can focus on specific targeted areas. The sound is designed to be controlled by police officers who can alter the frequency, level, quality, and duration of the alarm,” according to a report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a US-based non-profit organisation.

• There are three main types of sonic weapons:
—Long-range acoustic device (LRAD): The device is manufactured by US-based Genasys Inc, which was earlier known as the LRAD Corporation. It has a range of 8,900 metres for intelligible speech, and produces a highly directional “beam” of extremely loud sound which can go to up to 160 decibels (dB).
For comparison, standing directly behind a jet engine as it takes off is between 130-140 dB, and a nearby gunshot produces around 150 dB. “Anything over 140 dB will cause pain for most people, but even sounds over 120 dB can cause permanent hearing damage from even short periods of exposure,” according to a report by The Conversation.
—Mosquito: This device produces very high-pitched sounds that are audible and painful to only younger people — usually teenagers and those in their twenties. It does not affect older people (30 and above).
James Parker, an expert in sound and law at the University of Melbourne in Australia, told CNN, “It’s not audible to adults because your hearing fades as you get older.”
—Infrasonic weapon: This is a newer technology and could deliver very low-frequency sounds that would be inaudible but could cause pain and disorientation. Experts are still investigating its capabilities.
Parker told CNN that infrasonic devices are likely to be the hardest to weaponise. “There are (sonic) devices that are used as weapons, but none that I know of use infrasound,” he said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Serbian officials deny illegal sonic weapon attack on peaceful protesters

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering Similar Theme:
6. Which of the following technologies are associated with sonic weapons?
1. Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD)
2. Infrasound waves
3. Hypersonic missiles
4. Active Denial System (ADS)
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1, 2, and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

Could Trump undo Biden-era pardons allegedly signed with ‘autopen’?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: US President Donald Trump Monday (March 17) declared that pardons signed by his predecessor Joe Biden were “void, vacant and of no further force and effect” because they were signed with an autopen.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is an autopen?

• Have autopens been used by Presidents before?

• Why has Trump targeted Biden’s pardons?

• Can Trump overturn Biden’s pardons?

• Examine the constitutional provisions related to presidential pardons in the United States.

• Can a succeeding president revoke or alter pardons granted by a predecessor? Discuss with examples.

• What is the role of technology, such as autopen, in governance and legal documentation?

• Compare the U.S. presidential pardon system with the Indian President’s power to grant clemency under Article 72. Highlight key similarities and differences.

Key Takeaways:

• In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.”

• The President claimed that Biden “did not know anything about these documents” and that these “were not explained to, or approved by, Biden.”

• When asked about his own use of the autopen, Trump said, “We may use it, as an example, to send some young person a letter because it’s nice… But to sign pardons and all of the things he signed with an autopen, is disgraceful.”

Do You Know:

• An autopen is essentially a printer-size machine that duplicates signatures using real ink, allowing public figures to autograph thousands of items, from posters to memorabilia. The machine has an arm that can hold a standard pen or pencil and can reproduce the programmed signature on paper.

• The device is not a new concept. A precursor to the Autopen was the 19th-century ‘Polygraph’. It was essentially a pantograph, allowing two or more pens to be moved simultaneously by the writer to make duplicate copies. The device was created by John Isaac Hawkins and patented in the US in 1803. US President Thomas Jefferson acquired this device a year later, calling it “the finest invention of the present age”.

• The issue was raised by the conservative thinktank, Heritage Foundation, responsible for the Project 2025 conservative policy wishlist. The foundation’s Oversight Project tweeted last week that it had analysed thousands of pages of documents with Biden’s signatures, including pardons, which it claimed was signed by an autopen.

• According to the US Constitution, the President does not have the authority to overturn a predecessor’s pardons. Article II Section 2 of
the Constitution simply says that the President “shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
This is boosted by a 2005 Department of Justice (DoJ) memo, which says the President need not “personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign” into law. He may “sign a bill within the meaning of Article I, Section 7 by directing a subordinate to affix the President’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen.”
Further, a 1929 DoJ opinion said that “neither the Constitution nor statute prescribed the method by which executive clemency shall be exercised or evidenced. It is wholly for the president to decide.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Trump claims Biden’s pardons for Jan 6 committee are ‘void’ and ‘vacant’ as he used autopen

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b) 2.(d) 3.(a) 4.(b) 5.(a) 6.(a)

  

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