News Wrap: Atomic watchdog says Iran increased production of near weapons-grade uranium

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• Amna Nawaz:

  In the day's other headlines: The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog reports that Iran has increased its production of near-weapons-grade uranium.

  The International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran has been producing more highly enriched uranium since late November, reversing a monthslong slowdown. U.N. inspectors observed the increase in facilities in Natanz and Fordow.

  Ukrainian warplanes attacked a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea off Russian-occupied Crimea. Video showed a massive explosion in the night sky. Ukrainian officials said the ship, which they believe was carrying ammunition and drones, was destroyed. The 360-foot-long vessel was also capable of carrying 10 tanks and more than 200 sailors.

  Officials in Nigeria say attackers armed with guns and machetes killed at least 140 people in a weekend rampage. The assailants burned down houses in 17 remote villages in the north-central state of Plateau. Locals blamed nomadic herders, who have clashed for decades with farmers over access to land and water. It is the deadliest violence Nigeria has seen since 2018.

  A fierce winter storm swept across much of the Central U.S. today, making for treacherous holiday travel. Parts of the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado were under blizzard warnings. In Nebraska, heavy snow and strong winds created hazardous conditions. In the meantime, frozen roads in North Dakota turned slick neighborhood streets into ice skating rinks.

  Thousands of migrants are trekking through Southern Mexico en route to the U.S. border. Mexican authorities are reportedly making no attempts to stop the caravan as they pass through immigration inspection checkpoints. The group of about 6,000 people walked along highways today, some carrying children, hoping for a better life when they reach the U.S. border.

• Marvin Orellana, Honduran Migrant (through interpreter):

  We are looking to improve ourselves, to have a better quality of life, because, in our country, the situation is getting worse and worse. What we're looking for is to work. We are not criminals. We are not bad people.

• Amna Nawaz:

  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are traveling to Mexico City tomorrow to negotiate an agreement on the flow of migrants to the U.S.

  And, on Wall Street, stocks kicked off this final week of trading on the higher note. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 159 points to close at 37545. The Nasdaq rose 81 points, and the S&P 500 added 20.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": a look at the priorities for state governments in 2024; the effect of the Israel-Hamas war on Israel's agricultural supply; and as this year comes to an end, a look at the best TV shows of 2023.