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CNN 10
More U.S. Troops Deploy to the Middle East; Researchers Identify the Deepest Point on Earth; Smart Shopping Car could Dramatically Change Grocery Stores
Aired January 07, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: You guys that tweeted me are totally right. This isn`t just our second show of the year, this is our second show of
the decade and it`s great to have you watching CNN 10 in 2020. I`m Carl Azuz at the CNN Center. Our first topic today concerns American service
men and women in the Middle East. Yesterday we told you about the back and forth attacks involving the U.S. and Iran. Those have been carried out
over the past few weeks in Iran`s western neighbor Iraq. That country is an ally of both America and Iran. Experts estimate that thousands of
American troops are in Iraq. So are a number of militias that Iran supports.
A U.S. air strike killed a high ranking Iranian general last week in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Afterward, Iraq`s parliament voted to expel
American troops from the country. Analysts believe lawmakers are trying to keep Iraq from being caught in the middle of the conflict between the U.S.
and Iran, but a large part of the Iraqi population doesn`t agree with the decision. It wants American troops to stay and many of Iraq`s lawmakers
didn`t attend the vote. It`s not clear if the decision will actually lead to American troops leaving. There are deep divisions in Iraq. After the
Iranian general was killed there, some Iraqis celebrated in the streets. Others mourned at his funeral and called for revenge against America.
The U.S. has military bases in several countries across the Middle East. Many of those nations are hoping that tensions between the U.S. and Iran
calm down and that a conflict will be avoided. One challenge for America is deciding how many troops will serve in the region and where they should
be stationed. The Pentagon is deploying an additional 3,500 American troops to the area according to estimates. Officials want to have an
increased U.S. presence there in case Iran takes revenge for the air strike against its general as the nation has promised it would.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These additional 3,500 or so troops that are moving to the Middle East this week, some initially left at the end of last week
and days before that. That is in fact their job. They are there for so- called force protection, protecting U.S. bases, U.S. embassies, U.S. assets and interests in the region. They are not going to be a force in combat
against Iran by any stretch. That`s not what they`re equipped for. If you were to have some full scale war, combat operation against Iran that`s
going to be something from the air and the sea not a land force. So, you know, go to the map that we have for a minute. You know, it shows the
dispersal of tens of thousands of U.S. troops across the region and that is all potentially an Iranian target list. That is the real challenge here.
How do you go ahead and protect all of this? Do you - - defenses have been increased, force protections have been increased, security awareness have
been up-ticked but this is going to be a real challenge and how long do you maintain this enhanced posture. Can you really do it forever?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. What body of water is located along the border between Israel and Jordan? The Dead Sea, The Sea of Galilee, The Gulf of
Aqaba, of the Red Sea. It`s the salty Dead Sea that`s between Israel and Jordon and it has the lowest elevation on Earth`s surface.
And though researchers say they found a place that`s considerably lower than that setting a new record for the deepest point on land, you can`t
really visit it and you can`t really even see it. The Deadman Glacier is located in Eastern Antarctica. Glaciologists at the University of
California were mapping it out using new technology. They were combining radar measurements, satellite information, and snow accumulation data and
they say this allowed them to locate a valley that`s hidden underneath the ice sheet.
The trough is reportedly about 62 miles long and 12 and a half miles wide but here`s the kicker. It`s deep. Researchers say it plunges two miles
below sea level which it would make it more than a mile deeper than the bottom of the Dead Sea. Of course the ocean`s deepest trenches are much
lower than this but what we`re talking about is the lowest point on land and the Antarctic trough apparently has no ocean water. Scientists say
it`s filled with ice that flows toward the Antarctic coast. They`re hopeful that their research will help scientists study the continent for
decades to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: But if anyone back in the 1960s` said we`d one day have a shopping cart that would help customers check out, they`d totally nailed it. The
smart cart you`re about to see is kind of like a self check out kiosk on wheels. Does it cost more than a standard shopping cart? Yes, though we
don`t know how much more. Could if eventually take the jobs of cashiers? Yes. It won`t be able to help you like a cashier can and there are
questions about how long each smart cart will last but they could bring a very different look to grocery aisles in the years ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today grocery stores are facing competition from the biggest names in online retail. That`s why a company called Caper is
making a shopping aisle staple smart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`d thought we`d take a conventional tool that everybody knows how to use and pack it full of technology and sensors (ph).
Right now you could basically throw in weighted goods like your fruits and vegetables and the cart will actually weigh it for you and it will
recommend you particular items based on what you (inaudible) in the store and it will help you check out. So we have these bagging hooks inside of
our cart to allow customers to bag their groceries as they go so that after they`re done paying they can just grab their bags and walk out of the
store.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That kind of grab and go technology is already in place at Amazon Go stores. There a complex system of cameras, sensors and
AI track every product a customer interacts with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we wanted to make sure that as a customer walks into the store they can just grab our cart and go. That being said, we`re
working with the grocery stores right now and you can log into their - - your loyalty program within that store so we have a better idea of who you
are, how you purchase and to really compliment as that (inaudible) user. Basically the ultimate vision in what we`re building towards is that a
customer walked into the store, they grab something off the shelf and when they throw it in the cart all the sensors and the technology in the cart
will immediately identify what that item is. This could work for something like a basket. This would work for something even larger, something
smaller. So it`s dynamic and it - - and it allows for us to go into different markets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For now Caper`s parts are still in the pilot stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this job isn`t going away anytime soon. I don`t really think you could automate the entire cashiering space. So for
us it`s really an opportunity to direct this change in the market the way we see fit. There`s a lot of different tech solutions that will take
somebody away from the brick and mortar location. So what we`re building is a technology that makes the experience and the convenience that you`d
see online back offline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Today`s 10 out of 10 segment is for all the Lord of the Rings fans out there. We found your ultimate vacation rental. Not to far from
Ashville, North Carolina a hobbit hole home is under construction. It`s only about 800 square feet, one bedroom, one bathroom and it doesn`t have a
lot of natural light since 90 percent of it`s underground. But hey, it`s a perfect fit for a photo and its builders hope fans will rent it for an
unforgettable experience. They`ll certainly find it "inhobbitable", terrible, and as an added bill bonus it`s a lot closer than middle Earth.
It should "Legolost" a long time though you`ll have to be careful of the "gondoor" before you, you know, give it a ring. I`m Carl Azuz. You have
our "Tolkein" of appreciation for your fellowship.
END
