Soros to Finance Needle Exchanges

International financier George Soros said he will donate $1 million to needle exchange programs in the U.S., picking up the slack after the federal government refused to provide any funds. The Clinton administration announced this week it will not grant any federal funds for needle exchange programs, even though it endorses the programs as preventing the spread of HIV without encouraging drug use. Soros, who also gave $1 million for needle exchanges last year, called on private donors and local governments to help fill the gap left by the federal ban on funding such programs.