Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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US public debt just crossed $40 trillion, but the country is hardly the only one facing fiscal troubles. Nations around the world took on record debt during Covid, and many have struggled to bring spending back under control. Chrystia Freeland, who faced this problem herself as Canada's Finance Minister, speaks with former Dutch Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag and former German Finance Minister Christian Lindner about why fiscal discipline is so politically difficult and what the rest of the world can learn before markets force the issue.
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