News Wrap: Russia holds first nuclear drills since invading Ukraine

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• Amna Nawaz:

  We begin tonight with the war in Ukraine, where fears of escalation are mounting, as Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw his first nuclear drill since the invasion.

  The exercise involved submarines and practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles. U.S. officials say Moscow gave advance notice of the tests. Putin also renewed the Kremlin's unfounded claims that Ukraine is plotting to set off a dirty bomb.

  NATO's secretary-general called the allegations baseless.

• Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General:

  President Putin is failing on the battlefield. We have also seen Russia accuse Ukraine of preparing to use a radiological dirty bomb. This is absurd. Allies reject this blatantly false accusation.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Russia's drills coincide with NATO's long-planned nuclear exercises in Europe this month.

  In Iran, Islamic State gunmen opened fire at a major Shiite holy site, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens more. Iran's judiciary said two gunmen were arrested and a third is on the run after attacking the mosque in the southern city of Shiraz.

  Elsewhere, thousands of protesters rallied across the country to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini died in police custody. Many marched on foot along a highway to her grave.

  Back in this country, the man who drove into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year was found guilty of killing six people and injuring more than 60 others. A jury convicted Darrell Brooks on all 76 criminal charges, including six counts of first-degree murder. He originally pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease, but withdrew that plea days before his trial without explanation.

  Meanwhile, in Michigan today, a jury found three men guilty in a plot to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The men were convicted of providing material support for a terrorist act as members of a paramilitary group. They'd held gun drills with the leader of the kidnapping scheme. Their sentencing is scheduled for mid-December.

  With less than two weeks until the midterm election, a second woman is now accusing Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker of helping her to get an abortion. The anonymous woman alleged he pressured her into the procedure and paid for it in 1993.

  Walker, who has been firmly anti-abortion during the campaign, called her claim — quote — "foolishness and a lie." He's also denied a similar allegation from a different woman.

  Britain's new prime minister had a day of firsts, meeting with his new Cabinet, and then facing the opposition party in Parliament. Rishi Sunak reiterated his pledge to restore economic stability after his predecessor's tumultuous exit. And during today's parliamentary session, he responded to calls for a general election from the opposition's leader.

• Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister:

  It's a bit rich coming from the person who tried to overturn the biggest democratic vote in our country's history.

  (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

• Rishi Sunak:

  Our mandate is based on a manifesto that we were elected on, to remind him an election that we won and they lost.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Sunak also delayed by more than two weeks a planned economic statement outlining how they will tackle Britain's cost-of-living crisis.

  The world's three main greenhouse gases hit record highs this past year, according to a new report from the U.N.'s weather agency. It estimated that temperatures will rise 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. By 2030, they say, emissions will increase more than 10 percent from 2010 levels, if countries don't take tougher action to fight climate change.

  The Biden administration is giving out nearly $1 billion in grants for electric school buses in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The new federal program will allow some 400 school districts to purchase about 2,500 zero-or low-emission school buses. The move aims to reduce air pollution near schools and in surrounding communities.

  Mortgage rates in the U.S. have jumped to their highest level since 2001. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that 30-year fixed rates rose to 7.16 percent, up from 6.94 percent the prior week. Loan application volume fell nearly 2 percent. Mortgage rates have more than doubled since the beginning of the year.

  And stocks were mixed on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained two points to close at 31839. The Nasdaq fell 228 points. The S&P 500 slipped 28.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": the threat of political instability rises as many candidates indicate they won't concede after the election; the city of St. Louis grapples with the aftermath of a school shooting and widespread gun violence; companies sever ties with Ye after antisemitic remarks, but the debate over his popularity continues; plus much more.