This isn't just our second show of the year. 3

This is our second show of the decade, and it's great to have you watching CNN 10 in 2020. 4

Carla Zeus at the CNN Center. 5

Our first topic today concerns American servicemen and women in the Middle East. 6

Yesterday, we told you about the back and forth attacks involving the U. 7

S and Iran. 8

Those have been carried out over the past few weeks in Iran's western neighbor, Iraq. 9

That country is an ally of both America and Iran. 10

Experts estimate that thousands of American troops are in Iraq. 11

So are a number of militias that Iran supports. 12

A U. 13

S airstrike killed a high ranking Iranian general last week in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. 14

Afterward, Iraq's parliament voted to expel American troops from the country. 15

Analysts believe lawmakers air trying to keep Iraq from being caught in the middle of a conflict between the U. 16

S and Iran. 17

But a large part of the Iraqi population doesn't agree with the decision. 18

It wants American troops to stay, and many of Iraq's lawmakers didn't attend the vote. 19

It's not clear if the decision will actually lead to American troops leaving their deep divisions in Iraq. 20

After the Iranian general was killed there, some Iraqis celebrated in the streets. 21

Others mourned that his funeral and called for revenge against America. 22

The U. 23

S has military bases in several countries across the Middle East, many of those nations air hoping that tensions between the U. 24

S. 25

And Iran calm down and then a conflict will be avoided. 26

One challenge for America is deciding how many troops will serve in the region and where they should be stationed. 27

The Pentagon is deploying an additional 3500 American troops to the area, according to estimates. 28

Officials want to have an increased U. 29

S presence there in case Iran takes revenge for the air strike against its general, as the nation has promised it. 30

Would these additional 3500 or so troops that are moving to the Middle East this week some initially left at the end of last week in days before that? 31

That is in fact, their job. 32

They're there for so called force protection, protecting US bases, U. 33

S. 34

Embassies, U. 35

S assets and interests in the region. 36

They are not going to be a force in combat against Iran. 37

By any stretch, that's not what they're equipped for. 38

If you were to have some full scale war combat operation against Iran, that's gonna be something from the air and the sea, not a land for so, you know, go to the map that we have for a minute. 39

You know, it shows the dispersal off tens of thousands of US troops across the region, and that is all potentially an Iranian target list. 40

That is the real challenge here. 41

How do you go ahead and protect all of this? 42

Defenses have been increased. 43

Force protection's been increased. 44

Security awareness has been uptick. 45

But this is going to be a real challenge. 46

And how long do you maintain this enhanced posture? 47

Can you really do it forever? 48

What body of water is located along the border between Israel and Jordan? 49

The Dead Sea, the sea of Galilee, the Gulf of Aqaba for the Red Sea? 50

Salty dead. 51

See that between Israel and Jordan. 52

And it has the lowest elevation on Earth's surface. 53

And the researchers say they've found a place that's considerably lower than that, setting a new record for the deepest point on land. 54

You can't really visit it, and you can't really even see it. 55

The Denman Glacier is located in eastern Antarctica. 56

Glaciologists at the University of California were mapping it out using new technology. 57

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. 58

The trough is reportedly about 62 miles long and 12 and 1/2 miles wide. 59

But here's the kicker. 60

It's deep. 61

Researchers say it plunges two miles below sea level, which would make it more than a mile deeper than the bottom of the Dead sea. 62

Of course, the ocean's deepest trenches are much lower than this. 63

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. 64

They're hopeful that their research will help scientists study the continent for decades to come. 65

But if anyone back in the 19 sixties said we'd one day have a shopping cart that would help customers check out, they totally nailed it. 66

The smart card you're about to see is kind of like a self checkout kiosk on wheels. 67

Does it cost more than a standard shopping cart? 68

Yes, though we don't know how much more could eventually take the jobs of cashiers. 69

Yes, it won't be able to help you like a cashier can. 70

And there are questions about how long each smart cart will last. 71

But they could bring a very different look to grocery aisles in the years ahead. 72

Today, grocery stores are facing competition from the biggest names in online retail. 73

That's why a company called Caper is making a shopping. 74

I'll staple Smart Way. 75

Take a conventional tool that everybody knows how to use a packet full of technology and sensors. 76

Right now, you could basically throw in waited goods like your fruits and vegetables, and the car will actually wait for you. 77

It will recommend you particular items based on where you are in the store. 78

It'll help you check out. 79

So we have these bagging hooks inside of our car to allow customers to bag their groceries as they go, so that after they're done paying that could just grab their bags and walk out of this, that kind of grab and go technology is already in place at Amazon Ghost stores. 80

They're a complex system of cameras, sensors and A. 81

I track every product a customer interacts with, so we wanted to make sure that is, the customer walks into the store. 82

They could just grab our cart and go. 83

That being said, we're working with the grocery stores right now, and you could log into there your loyalty program within that store. 84

So we have a better idea of who you are, how you purchase and to really compliment us. 85

That end user basically the ultimate vision, and what we're building towards is that a customer would walk into the store. 86

They grab something off the shelf, and when they throw it in the cart, all the sensors and the technology and the car will immediately identify what that item is. 87

This could work for something like a basket. 88

This could work for something even larger, something smaller. 89

So it's dynamic, and it allows for us to go into different markets. 90

For now, capers hearts are still in the pilot stage. 91

I think this job isn't going away anytime soon. 92

I don't really think you could automate the entire cash hearing space. 93

So for us, it's really an opportunity to direct this change in the market the way we see fit. 94

There's a lot of different tech solutions that will take somebody away from a brick and mortar location. 95

So what we're building is a technology that makes the experience and the convenience that you'd see online back off line. 96

Today's 10 out of 10 segment is for all the Lord of the Rings fans out there. 97

We found your ultimate vacation rental not too far from Asheville, North Carolina. 98

A hobbit hole home is under construction. 99

It's only about 800 square feet, one bedroom, one bathroom, and it doesn't have a lot of natural light since 90% of its underground. 100

But hey, it's a perfect fit for a photo, and its builders hope fans will rent it for an unforgettable experience. 101

They'll certainly find it in Hobbiton ble terrible, and there's an added bill bonus. 102

It's a lot closer than Middle Earth.