Additional 34,000 Troops to Afghanistan to be Announced Next Week; A Look at Delta's Nerve Center
HOLMES: Well, we may be getting the word now about just what President Obama plans to do on his decision on Afghanistan. We have gotten words from our folks at the Pentagon that officials there are telling our CNN Pentagon folks that in fact they are being told to expect an order for some 34,000 troops. Again, let me make sure how I'm clear on what is happening here. That is the Pentagon planners who are tasked to getting troops ready to go to Afghanistan have been told to prepare for an order of 34,000 troops. That is according to sources. That is what they are telling our folks at the Pentagon. Now, of course, the president, just had his final -- what we're told was his final, his ninth meeting he's had with his planners on Afghanistan, had that meeting last night. Word we got today is that the president would make an announcement soon. He came out and said just a short time ago in a press conference that he would make that announcement shortly, but don't expect it before Thanksgiving. So, we're expecting to hear it officially from the president, possibly in some kind of address next week, but right now we are being told from our sources at the Pentagon that in fact their planners are being told to get ready for an order of some 34,000 troops that would be going to Afghanistan. That falls somewhere in the range of what we have been reporting here at CNN for the past several days, even weeks. We will continue to follow that, and still waiting for official word. Meanwhile other top stories we want to tell you about. The leaders of the world's biggest democracy paying a visit to President Obama in Washington. The president welcomed India's prime minister to the White House this morning. And, tonight, there will be a state dinner. The first of the Obama presidency. In a news conference this morning, the Indian leader pledged to step up his country's contributions to the war on terror. Also in Kentucky, a story we have been following for some time here. Expecting investigators there to release their findings in the death of a census worker who was found hanging from a tree. His name was Bill Sparkman. He had the word "Fed" scrawled on his chest. Police have not said whether his murder was a murder, a suicide or an accident of some kind. A news conference is scheduled for the top of the hour. We'll bring you any new details that come out of that. Also pay back for a nightmare flight. The Transportation Department is fining three airlines a total of $175,000. All three had a role in stranding dozens of passengers overnight on the tarmac last summer in Rochester, Minnesota. The airlines are Continental and its partner Express Jet plus Mesaba Airlines. The plane had to land in Rochester during a storm. All right. Let's bring in Chad Myers, who is keeping an eye on the weather. Helping us out. There's a lot of people getting ready to travel. $175,000? I wonder if those folks stuck on that plane overnight think that's enough, Chad?</s>CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That was an entire -- that was a convoluted thing where they couldn't get to the right gate, and they wouldn't let them off. And there was nobody there. That was just -- that was a random event, I'll tell you. And that doesn't seem -- you divide that up by the number of people on that plane and how long they were there. I think that's below their pay scale for whatever pay scale they're on certainly.</s>HOLMES: We appreciate it. We're about to find out what one airport is doing. Chad, thank you. We are talking about the biggest airline in the world running at the world's busiest airports. That's a pretty big job. And even bigger job this week for the Delta Command Center right here in Atlanta. And CNN's Rob Marciano gives us a behind-the-scenes look.</s>ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Behind this door is the nerve center of Delta Airlines. The operations control center. Let's go meet the people that keep this airline flying. I'm here with David Holtz. He's director of operations management. He's going to show me a little bit about what this very intimidating room does to keep Delta flying.</s>DAVID HOLTZ, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: It's - this is the nerve center. This is the place where we run the operation, the entire system of Delta Air Lines.</s>MARCIANO (voice-over): Eighteen different departments working together to get 2,500 flights up and down safely and hopefully on time every day. One of those departments is Weather. Stephanie Klipfel's team of meteorologists work to help the pilots steer clear of trouble.</s>MARCIANO (on camera): I mean, what's the most important part of your job? Is it what's going on at the upper levels for the flight or what's going on at the lower levels for takeoff and landing?</s>STEPHANIE KLIPFEL, METEOROLOGY SUPERVISOR: We have people who are looking at our airports, at our hub weather, helping to plan the operation for bad weather that may be experienced there. And then the other half of the department is really monitoring for safety of the upper air -- upper atmosphere, watching the airplanes en route.</s>MARCIANO: Obviously weather plays a huge role into having a successful flight, so the Weather Department will speak directly with the aircraft dispatchers. One of those is Jeff Hubright, also a former meteorologist. Jeff, what kind of strategies do you put in place to have an airplane get where it needs to be?</s>JEFF HUBRIGHT, FLIGHT SUPERINTENDENT: Well, there are two things, Rob, that are really important to us. Obviously the surface weather and then we're looking at turbulence forecast for the end route phase of the flight. I use that information to tailor my fuel load, my flight level and maybe even the route. There are times I may flight plan a route several hundred miles off the most direct course to avoid severe weather and to avoid areas of turbulence.</s>MARCIANO (voice-over): And if your flight gets diverted or canceled.</s>GREG CARDER, RESERVATIONS OPERATIONS COORDINATOR: Then we will try to find alternate routing, alternate flights for those customers to be sure that they get to their final destination as quickly as possible.</s>MARCIANO: All in an effort to get ahead of the delays and get you where you want to go.</s>HOLMES: All right. Rob, is that the place to be right now? Joining us live now. Rob, it's interesting stuff back there. And you're in the command center, the brains of this whole operation, I assume. So, any given day, you got all kinds of problems out there, cancellations and all kinds of issues. As busy as it is now, are they seeing problems just yet?</s>MARCIANO: Today has been pretty smooth, T.J. Take a look at some of these screens that are up, a very mission control-like feel. They also have CNN and HLN on just in case some news breaks. But some of these numbers, or most of them, actually, all of them, are either black or green. That's good. Red, it's bad. What we also have here on the bridge is basically you've got customer service people. You've got people -- this is Melanie. She actually has to basically get you on another flight if your flight happens to be canceled. Today there's only really been a handful of those. Well, if your plane is broken, you got a mechanical on this same row here is where they would switch out that equipment for a plane that's not broken and get you out and -- out and going. Duty, pilot on duty, the liaison between the pilot and the company, and the FAA as well, the liaison between the flight attendants and then you have dispatchers on both sides of this room. It looks like a trading floor, T.J. Look at this. Today is pretty calm, but I suspect last week when they had to file their flight plans by hand, it was pretty crazy in here. And they're certainly happy that's not the case today. Tomorrow, obviously, a much, much bigger day, although volume is increasing today. Tomorrow they hope it to be just as calm, just as controlled as it is today. That would be the ideal situation, but it's fascinating to look. Never before have they allowed media to broadcast live from this space, so it's been a pretty cool day.</s>T.J. HOLMES: Well, that is pretty cool. And the lady you showed us at the beginning who handles if you need a cancellation or a change flight, I need you to get her direct number for me. I'd appreciate it.</s>MARCIANO: I know that was coming. That is an extremely private number. I already tried that, T.J. Nice go with that one.</s>HOLMES: All right, Rob, we appreciate you. Thanks so much. We'll talk to you again soon, buddy.</s>MARCIANO: All right.</s>HOLMES: Well, stay with us here. We'll continue a series we have been bringing you here exclusively on CNN. It's about a soldier who's speaking out. He couldn't stay silent anymore. But did he betray his comrades, or did they betray him? Our exclusive report, "Killings at the Canal."