Reuters - Video

Edition: US | UK | IN | CN | JP

video Video

Bernanke steps into the spotlight
Bernanke steps into the spotlight - 02:13
The official royal wedding guest list revealed
The official royal wedding guest list revealed - 01:23
Shuttle astronauts arrive at Cape Canaveral
Shuttle astronauts arrive at Cape Canaveral - 01:18
Waiting for Bernanke
Waiting for Bernanke - 01:51
Hospital staff flee border fighting
Hospital staff flee border fighting - 01:10
Thousands at Sai Baba funeral
Thousands at Sai Baba funeral - 01:03
Al Qaeda releases hostage messages
Al Qaeda releases hostage messages - 01:43
Obama calls birth controversy \
Obama calls birth controversy "distracting" - 05:29
Three blasts hit Kirkuk
Three blasts hit Kirkuk - 01:25
Protests intensify in Yemen
Protests intensify in Yemen - 01:24
Border clashes displace thousands
Border clashes displace thousands - 01:50
S&P Credit Rating Warning Helpful - Lister
S&P Credit Rating Warning Helpful - Lister - 00:53

Is a one trillion dollar coin the solution for debt?

Friday, January 11, 2013 - 01:07

Jan. 11 - An online petition is calling for the U.S. Mint to make the coin in order to pay off the country's debt. Alicia Powell reports.

▲ Hide Transcript

▶ View Transcript

Could the answer to the U.S. economy's woes be solved with the creation of one platinum coin to the value of one trillion dollars? Well that's what pundits have offered as a comical solution to the country's debt-crisis. An online petition on Whitehouse.gov calls for signatures to "Direct the United States Mint to make a single platinum trillion dollar coin". And it's already gathered over 7,000 signatures. The idea even caught the attention of comic Stephen Colbert. SOUNDBITE: Stephen Colbert, comedian, saying (English): "We should have known that a coin was Obama's solution to everything. It was right there in his slogan - 'change.'" Several parodies of what the trillion dollar coin should look like include the faces of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, current U.S. President Barack Obama, and his vice-president, Joe Biden. If the tongue-in-cheek idea were ever to become a reality -- you'd need a handful of these coins to even scratch the surface. The current U.S. debt stands at over $16 trillion U.S. dollars.

Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code

Close

Is a one trillion dollar coin the solution for debt?

Friday, January 11, 2013 - 01:07

Featured Videos

Ocean clean-up ship fuelled by plastic pollution

Ocean clean-up ship fuelled by plastic pollution

Plans have been revealed for a self-powering ship that will remove plastic pollution from the sea, processing it into fuel as it goes
Ivorian wins first African freestyle football champs

Ivorian wins first African freestyle football champs

A freestyle footballer from Ivory Coast wins the first African championships, held in Nigeria
Che Guevara poster artist on revolutionary times

Che Guevara poster artist on revolutionary times

Fifty years after creating the Che Guevara poster that still adorns student bedrooms around the world, Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick is delighted at its ubiquity, but concerned at its exploitation for commercial gain
Netfix and HBO tie for total wins at the Emmys

Netfix and HBO tie for total wins at the Emmys

It was a night of upsets for the highest honours in television and a triumph for streaming services, as Netflix drew with HBO for first place at the awards show
BMW shows off self-driving motorcycle

BMW shows off self-driving motorcycle

BMW has released video of its first self-driving motorbike, an autonomous version of its R1200GS motorcycle