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HARD NUMBERS: US lawmakers call for chip trackers, Elon’s PAC gets sued, Manitoba burns, Honda drains its Canadian battery investment, Rubber ducks migrate

​Data center servers and components containing the newest artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia are seen on display at the company's GTC software developer conference in San Jose, California, USA, on March 19, 2025.
Data center servers and components containing the newest artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia are seen on display at the company's GTC software developer conference in San Jose, California, USA, on March 19, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephen Nellis/File Photo

8: Where do US advanced microchips go? US lawmakers want to know. A bipartisan group of eight congresspeople has introduced a bill requiring tracking technology on any export-bound artificial intelligence chips. The proposal, similar to a Senate bill introduced last week, is meant to stop cutting-edge American AI tech from going to China.

100: Tesla owner Elon Musk’s political action committee is being sued for failing to pay the $100 that it – controversially – promised to give swing-state voters who signed a pro-Constitution petition during last year’s presidential election.

21: The central Canadian province of Manitoba is struggling to control 21 active wildfires. The fast-moving blazes killed two people earlier this week and have forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 Manitobans. So far, this season’s 80 fires are nearly double the 20-year average.

11 billion: Honda is moving production of some of its vehicles from Ontario to the US, and postponing a plan to invest $11 billion in the production of EVs and batteries in Canada. The move is a direct response to Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on Canadian autos and parts.

3,000: Honda may be leaving, but the rubber ducks are coming! The owners of the Rubber Duck Museum in Point Roberts, Washington, a US town accessible only via Canadian territory, are decamping for Canada — along with their famous retail shop of 3,000 novelty ducks. The reason? Trump’s threats and tariffs on Canada have caused such a severe drop in cross-border visitors that the business can no longer stay afloat in the US.

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