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Refugees From The War In Ukraine Flow Into Neighboring Countries; Researchers Document Life On The ISS Before It`s Taken Down; Walgreens Tests "Cooler Screens." Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired March 15, 2022 - 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: Welcome to the show. We`re happy to see you this Tuesday. My name is Carl Azuz.

In the two and a half weeks since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, more than two and a half million Ukrainians have left their country. That`s

according to the United Nations. Almost half of these refugees have fled to Poland, hundreds of thousands have crossed into Hungary, Moldova, Romania,

Slovakia, and Russia says as many as 250,000 from Eastern Ukraine have entered Russia, though CNN can`t independently confirm that.

Most of those who`ve left Ukraine are women and children. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving and encouraged to join the

military. The Russian invasion which that country calls a special military operation is the biggest attack on a European nation since World War II.

Extensive damage has been reported in several Ukrainian cities. Two American officials recently told CNN that after its invasion began, Russia

asked China for support including money and military equipment like drones. Analysts say Chinese assistance could help balance the sanctions, the

economic punishments that Western countries have put on Russia`s economy.

But China and Russia have both denied that a request like that was made, with a Chinese official calling it disinformation and saying his country`s

been pushing for peace talks. Government officials from Russia and Ukraine have been meeting regularly. Some of these talks have been in person. Some

have been virtual.

But as of last night, they hadn`t yet resulted in a ceasefire. The U.S. government which has been supporting the Ukrainian military with supplies

and weapons says Russia`s progress in Ukraine has stalled, but an American defense official says Russia still has percent of the combat power it had

when it invaded.

Ukrainian forces have been targeting Russian supply lines as well as the country`s tanks and aircraft. Ukrainian officials say Russia has been going

after their military and civilian infrastructure leaders worldwide continue to push for the war to end and for aid to Ukrainian refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Which of the following objects has not been left on the moon?

A Bible, the U.S. Marine Corps flag, a tennis shoe, or a tie tack?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: A lot of boots have been left on the moon but NASA has no record of a tennis shoe having been left there.

Scientists say it`s likely that the first human footprint on the moon, the one made by astronaut Neil Armstrong in 1969 is still there with no wind to

blow it away. You could call it a piece of space archaeology.

Since the year 2000, the International Space Station has served as an orbiting laboratory. It`s the biggest and most expensive object people have

ever built at a cost of around $150 billion. But it`s aged a great deal and NASA plans to get rid of it in less than 10 years. There`s no plan to bring

back any of its artifacts for future research.

So astronauts have begun photographing parts of the ISS daily, like a wall of tools to help researchers record study and preserve an account of what

life is like in zero gravity. The days of the ISS itself are numbered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever wonder what happens when something as big as the International Space Station gets decommissioned? It doesn`t

get pushed farther into space. Instead, it gets sent hurtling back towards Earth.

And because it`s too big to be fully destroyed by the Earth`s atmosphere, the flaming debris has to land somewhere.

And that place is here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may call me Captain Nemo.

CRANE: Named for the character in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", Point Nemo is so remote that astronauts on the ISS, which orbits 227 nautical

miles above earth are often closer to it than any other humans.

Nestled 3,000 miles east of New Zealand and 2,000 miles north of Antarctica, Point Nemo has become the final home for more than 263 pieces

of space debris since 1971. That includes Russia`s Mir Space Station and NASA`s first space station Skylab.

But the ISS won`t fall to the bottom of the ocean fully intact. Rather, it will break into fragments as it settles below the sea. The International

Space Station is expected to keep operating until the end of 2030, before it`s crashed into Point Nemo.

But it won`t just drop like a cannonball out of space. NASA will begin to prepare the ISS for de-orbit as early as 2026, by lowering the altitude of

the space lab. It`s expected to crash back to earth by January 2031.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: With the exception of windows and patios, this used to be the only kind of screen people encountered on a regular basis. Now, they`re

everywhere from the grocery check out to the gasoline pump and an American chain of pharmacy stores is testing out a new kind of screen on the doors

of its drink coolers. You can`t always see through the screens to what`s actually inside and one shopper wrote on social media that he had to watch

an ad to know where the frozen pizzas were.

That`s part of the reason why this new technology has left a sour taste among some consumers. Why was it installed in the first place?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone explain this to me. Right?

REPORTER: In some Walgreens locations, glass refrigerator doors have been replaced with these digital screens as part of a pilot program. And some

are taken to social media to say they don`t like them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you open up the thing to get me some water?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s really inviting --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What in the world, they lied? Why would they lie?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, what if -- what if you`re sold out of something and it doesn`t register? If only there was a way that we could see inside

of a freezer, you know, like a glass door?

REPORTER: The technology comes from Cooler Screens. The CEO says he started the company when he saw the customer experience gap between

shopping online and shopping in a physical store and wanted to bring these experiences together.

ARSEN AVAKIAN, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, COOLER SCREENS: We`re creating this hybrid experience, right? You are shopping in a physical store and the all

the best that comes with it, right? Immediately, you grab the product you want. It`s readily available, but you get the benefit of as if you`re

shopping online, of having all this richness of information and content and interaction.

REPORTER: The company tries to create what they call a retail media network, brands pay Cooler Screens to run ads. Retailers such as Walgreens

share a cut from the advertising. Sensors and cameras are set up both inside and outside of the fridges to track consumer activities.

AVAKIAN: And retailers were obsessed about digital transformation and we gave them something very specific and tangible that was solving a real

consumer problem and yet was bringing them real business benefits.

REPORTER: The company claims people love this technology. However, some consumers say they`ve found it confusing.

Julio Sevilla, a consumer behavior professor from the University of Georgia, says people tend to prefer simplicity in retail settings.

JULIO SEVILLA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: You know, you probably just want to make it easier, right? We all love to get into a

supermarket and know exactly what we`re getting. I know also exactly where things are, right? And also rely on the fact that you may find things so

for this type of more utilitarian, not pleasure-related settings, I think people like their certainty and their simplicity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m so confused. I can`t believe this is happening.

AVAKIAN: When there is a new technology, right, consumers are always suspicious. So I respect that. I think -- I mean -- and I`m empathetic to

that. So it`s very important for a new company like ours to always educate the consumers about what it really does and what it doesn`t do.

SUBTITLE: Walgreens told CNN that it remain committed to exploring digital innovation in effort to deliver new and different experiences for

customers. The company will continue to evaluate locations and number of pilot stores in partnership with Cooler Screens - Walgreen spokesperson.

(MUSIC)

AZUZ: For 10 out of 10, what do you call a tea party held more than four miles higher than sea level? High tea. This is a climbing party, having a

tea party on Mount Everest. They were at an altitude of 21,312 feet when they busted out beverages and cookies.

The picture was taken last May but Guinness World Records just certified it as the highest tea party ever held. The organizer who reached the mountain

summit two weeks after this photo was taken said the greatest things in life are often those shared.

What a great way to celebrate with your bemates (ph). Of course, they`ve probably been climbing for a long time. They ferment to do more while they

were there. They might have been Dar-reeling from the altitude and the tea was probably cold.

But they totally dunked on that previous record, and it wasn`t just the tradition that was steeped.

I`m Carl Azuz. From La Plata, Maryland, we heard from La Plata High School. Shout out to you and thank you for subscribing and leaving a comment on our

YouTube channel.

That`s a wrap for CNN 10.

END