Swine flu vaccine hit by expiration date, and more

Swine flu vaccine hit by expiration date

About a quarter of the swine flu vaccine purchased by the federal government during last year’s outbreak—40 million doses, at a cost of $260 million—has expired and will now be destroyed.

USA Today

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Who are the biggest defaulters of them all?

The biggest defaulters on mortgages are wealthy people who took out huge loans to buy mansions they assumed they could sell at a profit. More than one in seven homeowners with loans in excess of $1 million are seriously delinquent, compared with one in 12 mortgages below the million-dollar mark.

The New York Times

California's coffers to suffer if pot prices plummet

If California’s ballot initiative to legalize marijuana passes, pot prices could plummet by as much as 90 percent—undercutting any tax windfall for the state, a new Rand study concludes. “Right now, when individuals purchase drugs,” said Rand researcher Beau Kilmer, “they are paying for the drug dealer taking risks of being arrested.”

Associated Press

Pentagon surveys military on “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy

In a survey of attitudes toward “don’t ask, don’t tell,’’ the Pentagon is asking 400,000 military members how they would react if a gay soldier walked into the shower or if a gay military couple moved in next door.

ABCnews.com

China uses half the world's coal

To fuel its economic growth and soaring demand for electricity, China this year will mine and burn 50 percent of the coal produced throughout the world.

TheOilDrum.com