The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge

Jun 24, 2026 · 55 min · YouTube

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asr · 8,510 words · docs
0:04Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.
0:06Some news you may have missed.
0:08Congress is considering the Unsubscribe Act, a bill that would make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions.
0:14But as you are probably not surprised to learn, the bill is moving slowly.
0:19Why?
0:20Well, there's an episode about that.
0:23We first published it a little over a year ago.
0:26I thought it might be nice to play it again now as a bonus episode.
0:28We have updated facts and figures where needed.
0:31As always, thanks for listening.
0:38I have a story to tell you, and I'm curious if anything like this has ever happened to you.
0:43I recently got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles saying it's time to renew my driver's license.
0:50This is a letter that no one looks forward to receiving.
0:53In many places, the DMV is famously hard to deal with.
0:57Long lines, confusing protocols, etc., etc.
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The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge — transcript & sponsors · podintel