10 things you need to know today: July 8, 2023

White House defends controversial delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine, Yellen urges economic harmony between China and US, and more

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein - Pool/Getty Images)

1. Biden defends controversial delivery of cluster bombs to Ukraine

President Biden on Friday defended his decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine, saying it was a "difficult" choice but necessary because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition." During an interview with CNN, Biden said that he had discussed the decision to send the weapons to Ukraine with Democratic allies on Capitol Hill, as well as extensively with his advisors. The munitions contain smaller explosive particles called bomblets, and are banned in many countries due to their propensity for harming civilians. A number of top Democrats lambasted Biden for his decision, with Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Mo.) saying, "The legacy of cluster bombs is misery, death, and expensive cleanup generations after their use."

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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
Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.