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Violence Erupts in Iraq Ahead of National Elections; College Students Protest Increased Tuition Across the Country; Pentagon Shooter Had History of Mental Illness.

Aired March 06, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: There you are. Hello, everybody. From the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN Saturday morning. It is March 6th. Good morning. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: First Saturday of the week -- of the month.

NGUYEN: The month.

LUI: I'm already interrupting you, as I normally do. I'm Richard Lui.

NGUYEN: That's OK. It's our routine.

LUI: It is my routine as I do fill in for T.J. Holmes. I never get the timing right.

NGUYEN: He's on his honeymoon, by the way. Beautiful wedding and hopefully he's having beautiful weather in the tropics. He'll be back next week.

LUI: Congratulations to you, T.J. Thanks for starting your day with us, by the way. We have lots to tell you about.

First off, more revelations this morning about the Pentagon shooter. Details about John Patrick Bedell's links to the pentagon, his marijuana use, and his impressive resume. He graduated with a degree in physics.

NGUYEN: Also, my conversation with the Dalai Lama. There's a lot of questions surrounding whether he will be the last Dalai Lama. He is the 14th in the line here, and especially with the situation in Tibet, a lot of people are wondering if that will continue. Will he be reincarnated? Well, I ask him that very question, and the answer may be surprising to you.

But fist, we want to turn to Iraq where a car bomb has killed at least three people in one of the country's holiest cities. It comes just a day before a national election there. CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad and joins me live. Give us the latest behind this violence. What's happening?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Well, this is especially disturbing because this area around that shrine and the holy Shia city of Najaf is very heavily guarded, very heavily protected. And also it comes two days after there were two suicide bombers who walked into a group of Iraqi security forces assembling, gathered to go and cast their vote. Iraqi security forces, people in hospitals and in prisons were able to vote early.

And so, Iraqis are very anxious, very worried about what is actually going to happen tomorrow, because at the same time we also have the Islamic state of Iraq, that's the umbrella insurgent organization with Al Qaeda at its head, that has gone so far as to issue a curfew, especially saying in its Sunni areas, telling residents to stay inside between 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Islamic state of Iraq has already vowed in previous statements that it would derail these elections, and so security very much at the forefront of everyone's mind -- Betty?

NGUYEN: Let me ask you that. What's the feeling on the street? Are people a little more reluctant to go and vote? Because in the past we've seen them show up despite the secure situation.

DAMON: We have, Betty. And I would go so far as to say that most Iraqis will probably not turn out first thing in the morning, that they'll wait and see how the day transpires, they'll wait and see what happens, and then if they want to cast their vote they will.

This is a very resilient and a very brave population, especially given everything they have been through over the last seven years.

But these elections are very critical and everyone here is actually aware of that. These elections will literally determine if Iraq stays on this path of democracy, if it moves towards being more of a secular state, or if it shifts towards a path of becoming more conservative, more fundamentalist, and more religious.

The race here is very, very tight. And analysts are saying that these elections are the most significant moment in Iraq's history since 2003. Betty?

NGUYEN: All right, Arwa Damon joining us live. Thank you, Arwa.

LUI: We now know more about the man killed by police at the Pentagon on Thursday. John Patrick Bedell once proposed researching smart weapons for the military. He also had a history of mental illness.

Here's Dan Simon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN PATRICK BEDELL, PENTAGON SHOOTER: In the next few minutes I'll talk to you about what information currency is.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You don't have to watch John Patrick Bedell's YouTube video for very long to realize this was a man with serious issues. This video, titled "Information Currency," is the rambling of a troubled 36-year-old man instructing people how to use information to make money.

BEDELL: I hope you'll visit my website and download the software that I've released.

SIMON: Bedell may have been disturbed, but he was clearly intelligent. His online resume shows he graduated with a degree in physics in 1994. A professor remembers him as a thoughtful student.

PROF. DAVID PARENT, SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY: I thought I knew him pretty well. I had him in a class where he was a pleasure to have him there, and he would ask really good questions that would spark the class into having good questions. I would have characterized him as a gentle man.

SIMON: Years later in 2004, a link to the Pentagon. Bedell, who also studied biochemistry, proposed the Pentagon fund his research on smart weapons. CNN obtained this 28-page proposal, though it's not clear if he ever submitted it to the Defense Department.

At this point in Bedell's life, no apparent red flags, but that changes in 2006. A search of criminal records shows his first real trouble with the law, arrested for growing marijuana. Authorities say Bedell later obtained a medical marijuana card and the local sheriff says his mother was concerned about his frequent use and told police about it.

SHERIFF CURTIS HILL, SAN BENITO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: She feels that he's, you know, delusional, agitated, he got upset with her because, you know, she's asking questions about what he's been doing.

SIMON: Bedell lived in this gated northern California community with his parents, described as well-known and respected.

In recent months, they became more and more worried about their son's erratic behavior, like in January, they got a call from a Texas deputy who had just pulled Bedell over for speeding. The deputy sensed something was wrong. And so he got bedell's cell phone and called his parents.

SIMON (on camera): And so he got Bedell's cell phone and called his parents?

HILL: That's correct. And what he articulates to the mother is that, hey, I'm calling to ask a few questions about your son because the inside of his vehicle appears to be in disarray and what can you tell me about him.

SIMON: Bedell went on his way. The family later filed a missing persons report, then dropped it when Bedell came home a week later. But Bedell soon left again when, according to the sheriff, his mother questioned him about a $600 charge at a shooting club. It's not clear if the money was for a weapon.

Then on February 1st, more trouble with police. Bedell, now with a beard and appearing gaunt, was pulled over in Reno and determined to be high on marijuana. Authorities say he had 75 grams of pot in his possession. He was charged with several crimes but didn't show up for his court appearance.

A month later, after driving across the country, Bedell shows up at that Pentagon metro station dressed in a suit and, according to police, opens fire.

Bedell had a documented case of mental illness, bipolar disorder. The sheriff, here in his hometown, says Bedell had been committed to a mental institution three or four times. Bedell's parents put out a statement saying their son's actions were called by a mental illness, not a defective character.

Dan Simon, CNN, Hollister, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: President Obama says we need health care reform now and that starting from scratch would only help insurance companies' bottom lines. He explained the urgency in his weekly radio and Internet address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, despite all the progress and improvements we've made, Republicans in Congress insist that the only acceptable course on health care is to start over.

Well, you know what, the insurance companies aren't starting over. I just met with some of them on Thursday and they couldn't give me a straight answer as to why they keep arbitrarily and massively raising premiums by as much as 60 percent in states like Illinois.

If we don't act, they will continue to do this. They'll continue to drop people's coverage when they need it. They'll continue to refuse coverage based on preexisting conditions. These practices will continue.

And that's why we have to act now. That's why the United States Congress owes the American people an up-or-down vote on health insurance reform.

We also know what the future will look like if we don't act. If we let this opportunity pass for another year or another decade or another generation, more Americans will lose their families' health insurance if they switch jobs or lose their job. More small businesses will be forced to choose between health care and hiring.

And the rising cost of Medicare and Medicaid will sink our government deeper and deeper into debt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, president Obama is calling for a Democratic unity to get health care reform passed.

LUI: And then delivering the Republican response, physician turned Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama, who used to be a Democrat, he switched parties late last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PARKER GRIFFITH, (R) ALABAMA: The mere threat of this health care bill being enacted is freezing employers in their tracks and destroying much-needed jobs. To get a final bill through without public or bipartisan support, Democrats would have to use a toxic, controversial, legislative scheme known as reconciliation.

Reconciliation would allow Democrats to make a few last-minute backroom deals and rely on only Democratic votes. Reconciliation is by no means a cure-all that would permit drastic changes to improve the bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: Now, Griffith also says the health care debate was the primary motivation in his decision to switch parties.

NGUYEN: Well, the Dalai Lama is one of the best known and recognizable spiritual leaders in the world. But could this one be the last one? We'll show you more of my sit down interview with the Dalai Lama, coming up.

LUI: And we've seen the student outrage over tuition hikes and protests across the country. We wanted to dig deeper and find out what happened to tax dollars that were supposed to ease this budget crunch. Can students expect any relief there? Answers coming up.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: It has been a week since Chile was rocked by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.

NGUYEN: Indeed, and the aftershocks just keep coming. The latest one, you can see power lines swaying as the earth moves. Two aftershocks hit yesterday. The bigger one was 6.6 magnitude. And 200 aftershocks have been recorded since last Saturday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Well, we saw this across the country this week, students protesting over budget cuts at colleges and universities. A still shot right here. It was called a day of action.

And our iReporters covered it. Josh Levs is here on that story with images from these rallies, which are in California but also across the country.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Home base was California. Let's look at this iReport video we got from an iReporter on the scene collecting video. We got so much video from our iReporters. As you know, California was home base for this. They were all over the country, but this is from the University of California, Riverside. You know that school.

LUI: Yes. One of the schools protest, they tend to work together.

LEVS: And the entire system. People throughout that system are upset.

I have behind me, let's check out these on the screen behind me. We have a whole bunch of pictures from our iReporters all at CNN.com. You can check them all out.

But some of the hottest pictures from that day. You see a lot of angry people, a lot of people complaining. Over here, some students at the University of California who created this mock graveyard saying that some classes have been basically killed by the budget cuts. We did see some other things, as well, in New York, around the country.

So we have a lot of these pictures as a reminder of how strong this is. I have here now for you a graphic to look at that show some of the cuts around the country. Let's go to that graphic. I want everyone to see what young people are so upset about.

Here's just one example of what's going on. You can see there at University of California at Berkeley had a proposed and has been accepted, a 32 percent increase in tuition and fees over one year. University of Georgia has a proposed 35 percent increase. University of Arizona, a proposed 31 percent increase.

So, Richard, you have a really tough economy, and we're always saying it's important to build for the future. Young people need to be able to pay for school. Massive spikes in costs have people upset that protest.

LUI: Increases of about $2,500 to $3,000, but they've seen that in the school system in California historically. But every dollar counts when you're talking about student education.

LEVS: Especially now.

LUI: There was a lot of talk about stimulus dollars helping this out, trying to balance the books. Where are we at with that?

LEVS: And to me that makes this situation even more stark, because they did. I have one more figure. Take a look at that, because this is incredible. From the giant stimulus that passed last year $17.2 billion from that stimulus -- remember, it's borrowed money, we're paying interest on it -- $17.2 billion has gone to higher education.

And yet even with all those billions you still have such troubled schools, they're doing major cutbacks, they're still doing the kind of tuition and fee increases they were already doing.

So again, a lot of people upset saying what happened to all that money? Well, the economy is just that bad, a lot of schools saying even with those billions pouring in they still have to raise fees and tuition.

LUI: Well, $17.2 billion, to give us context, within California itself, it has a budget deficit of over $40 billion.

LEVS: Right.

LUI: So trying to balance that all together, it's a huge problem. Josh Levs, great stuff. Thanks for the information. Students, boy, they've got it tough -- Betty?

NGUYEN: No doubt. And the $17.2 billion poured into the system and still seeing these hikes shows there's a lot of need out there.

We are changing topics for you because this morning we're going to bring you information on a surprise visitor for troops in Afghanistan. You'll see who that is.

Plus, as Congress tries to figure out how to fix health care, one surgeon is already, one surgeon is already cutting through the red tape. Meet the newest hero when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Here's a look at our top stories this hour.

At least three people are dead after a car bomb exploded in one of Iraq's holiest cities. Dozens of others are wounded just hours before that blast. Al Qaeda threatens to disrupt tomorrow's national elections. Security officials say they expect more violence.

Then, a top Taliban commander and about two dozen other militants are believed to be dead after a Pakistani army air strike. Officials say it took place yesterday in a tribal area in the northwest part of that country.

The man accused of opening fire at the Pentagon was mentally ill and had been in and out of institutions for many years. That is according to the sheriff in John Bedell's hometown. Police say that Bedell wounded two police officers before he was fatally shot on Thursday.

NGUYEN: Providing health care for millions of uninsured Americans. It is a debate that is dividing the nation. And our CNN hero of the week is taking matters into his own hands, cutting through all the red tape to reach those in need.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I went to go see Dr. Moore, this is what he seen. Would you like to see it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I developed skin cancer from too much sun exposure. When I see this, I have a hard time looking at this. DR. ALAN MOORE, CNN HERO: This cancer was so far advanced eventually it would have killed him. He felt that he could not afford to have the surgery. In this economic time, our friends and family can't wait. They need this health care now.

All right, bud. How are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little nervous.

MOORE: You'd be a little crazy if you weren't nervous. That's OK.

He's now back for the operation to reconstruct his nose. We're going to give you some joy juice. I'm Dr. Andy Moore. I'm a plastic surgeon. We perform free surgical procedures on people that have no health insurance.

When I started 26 years ago, now we just simply make the call to the hospital and say I've got somebody I'm going to do for free. It became more complex with computers and HMOs and insurance company. These people don't have health insurance, and I think it's our duty to reach out and help those type of people as often as we can.

It's about what I went into medicine for. It's about taking care of people and not necessarily expecting something in return for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And so far, Dr. Andy Moore and his organization have treated more than 3,000 patients free of charge. To see Dr. Moore and his entire family working in the operating room or to nominate someone who you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.

LUI: It's all about sky-high tuition hikes. We've heard the student protests and seen the financial pressures colleges are facing these days. Up next, we'll talk with our Steve Perry about the crisis facing the education system.

NGUYEN: Also, did you know Oscar weekend starts with another awards ceremony? Yes, and "Precious" was a big winner. Plus, there are many others. We'll get you ready for the Hollywood "Road to Gold" when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning and welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

LUI: That's right. We're keeping a close eye on developments for you in Iraq all morning long on the eve of that country's elections. There's already been a bombing there this morning. We'll bring you details later in this half hour.

But right now we want to talk about education and your money. It does come at a cost, and cash-strapped universities and college students across the country, well, they're saying to the folks that are saying that you need to pay higher tuition that we're not happy about it.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

CROWD: We are the students! The mighty, mighty students!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: There's a lot of angst out there, and this week thousands rallied against budget cuts, layoffs, and tuition hikes on campuses coast to coast.

Well, another person quite vocal on the issue is CNN Education Contributor Steve Perry. He joins us from Hartford, Connecticut. All right, Steve, we have heard the shouts. We have seen the signs. This is nothing new. We've seen them for months now. What is at the root of all of this?

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: What's at the root of this is that a college's money comes -- its revenue comes from two sources, either the tuition of the students or the taxpayers' money. And when the rate to educate begins to elevate beyond that what they take in, the students end up paying the brunt of it.

It's a horrible situation and the adults have failed the children. The children have every reason to be upset because they did not sign up for this. They were given access to college because of their ability. Now as a result of that they're being told they have to pay 30 percent more. That's absurd.

NGUYEN: Well, education is more expensive, you're saying, because just basically the budget -- they're having to pay teachers more, right?

PERRY: Absolutely. Not just teachers but all faculty and staff. If their salaries continue to increase and the revenue does not move, there lies the gap. The gap needs to be made up by the parents and the students, and that's not fair.

PERRY: But Steve, why are the salaries increasing if we're seeing a problem like this? Why are they continuing to rise in an economy like this?

PERRY: It's absurd. Because the unions that back them make it possible for us to get locked in, for us the people to get locked into contracts that we simply cannot pay for.

There's no out that says if we can't pay you, you don't get the increase. That's what happened in the financial markets. These individuals made more money than the companies could afford and companies imploded. The same thing is happening in the public sector.

NGUYEN: Professors will say, look, I need to be paid for what I do, and with the cost of living and all these other things, you have to account for all that, and also the fact that they have received stimulus money. We've seen, what, $17.2 billion go into helping this very problem? But yet we're still seeing protests.

So why isn't there an answer or a fix being made?

PERRY: There is a fix. The fix is that the adults have to man up. They have to take responsibility for the circumstances that they've created. The adults, the employees have to put their careers second to the children's careers.

They have access. They need to freeze their salaries at least to ensure that the children do not have to pay more. The more that they get increases the more their children and their families have to pay. That's completely unconscionable.

NGUYEN: When you do the math here, $17.2 billion in stimulus money, but you're still seeing, what, the university of Georgia tuition there up 35 percent, Berkeley up 32 percent, University of Arizona up 31 percent. It's got to stop somewhere. But the stimulus dollars aren't going to stop. Right?

PERRY: No.

NGUYEN: That's not going to continue to come in. Where is it making a difference, then? If it's not lowering the tuition, where is it making a difference?

PERRY: I don't know where the stimulus dollars are coming in and making a difference because the gaps are so significant. One of the biggest issues in running a public institution is making sure that the revenue can meet the costs, and the revenue is not meeting the costs.

And that's where the children run into problems, because not only do the children have to pay more, the students have to pay more, but new programs are cut. So anytime that there's an interest in creating a new program on a college campus, that can't be done. Facilities need to be shut down.

There's a great deal more that's going to happen all over the country if the individuals, if the employees of these institutions don't start to act responsibly and say, listen, we can't ask the community for my more money because we know you don't have it. We can't accept a raise you can't afford because all that's going to have to make me fire a colleague to meet my own raise. It can't be that way. And make the students have to pay more.

The students have every right to be angry. They're just angry at the wrong people. The board of regents and the governments, so to speak, are not the ones. It's the individuals who work in those schools. The same people on the picket lines.

NGUYEN: But somebody is approving those salaries.

PERRY: Right, they are, and that's where the government does come in. The only place the government comes in, is they keep kowtowing to these organizations like unions, the keep kowtowing to these organizations and saying to them, OK, we'll give you as much as you ask for, never ever stopping the bleeding instead of saying we just don't have it, enough is enough.

NGUYEN: So, where do you -- I mean, do you honestly think teachers are going to come up and say, or professors, say, look, I'm going to give some of this back because the rate of tuition is too high? Do you really think that's going to happen?

PERRY: They don't have to give it back. They just have to put a freeze on the salary increases for awhile. It's going to hurt everyone a lot. Because we've gone so far down this road and so deep into deficit, a lot has to happen. Unfortunately, it is going to be passed onto the children, which they did not deserve, they did not sign up for.

And as somebody who sends kids to school every single year at 100 percent, it is disheartening, because looking at college applications I have to decide not what is the best school for our children but what they can potentially afford in three or four years.

As someone who almost lost his own seat in college because he ran out of money going into his junior-senior year, I understand personally and professionally what happens when the colleges spiral out of control and their costs go too far.

NGUYEN: Steve Perry, breaking it down for us. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

PERRY: Thank you.

LUI: Good conversation there.

NGUYEN: Understanding exactly what's happening here and why we're seeing all these protests.

LUI: Absolutely.

Now the Pittsburgh Steelers' QB, Ben Roethlisberger spending the off-season in the headlines. He is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Georgia. We've got details ahead in another check of our top stories.

NGUYEN: And this could be a good omen for the Oscar-nominated movie "Precious." It picked up another prestigious award last night. That story and the conversation with the movie's director is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now, a day before Iraqis vote in national elections, a car bomb kills three people in near a Shiite holy shrine in Najah. At least 54 others are injured. Militants have promised to disrupt tomorrow's voting. An Al Qaeda- affiliated group has even issued a morning-to-night curfew in an effort to keep people from the polls. Another member of Congress is walking away from Capitol Hill. New York Representative Eric Massa says he will step down effective Monday. The first term Democrat announced earlier this week that he will not run for reelection because of health concerns. He's also under review by the House Ethics committee looking into harassment allegations.

NFL star Ben Roethlisberger is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a rural Georgia nightclub Friday. An agent for the Steelers quarterback says he'll cooperate in the investigation.

Now, last year a Nevada casino operator filed a civil suit against him and eight others alleging sexual assault. He's denied those allegations and no criminal charges were filed.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: Are you starting to feel like it's next to impossible to cash in your airline rewards? You are not alone. CNN Ayesha Tejpar explains why in this week's "On the Go."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE CLOONEY, "UP IN THE AIR": Last year I spent 322 days on the road. I flew 350,000 miles. The moon is 250.

AYESHA TEJPAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the movie "Up in the Air" George Clooney's character is on a mission to rack up 10 million air miles, the peak of elite status. Entry level for most airlines' elite programs is 25,000 miles. The most popular perk?

TIM WINSHIP, FREQUENTFLIER.COM: What they're after first and foremost is upgrades from coach to first class.

TEJPAR: Last year, many airlines regularly offered double elite qualifying miles.

WINSHIP: The net effect of that has to be that more travelers earned elite status than would otherwise be the case.

TEJPAR: But the airlines have cut capacity, which translates to fewer first-class seats, making it tougher than ever to get an upgrade.

WINSHIP: It's just going to be that much more difficult for elite members to find one of those first-class seats.

TEJPAR: Like Clooney's character in "Up in the Air," you can always clock miles just for the sport of it. Just don't count on relaxing in first class.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Look at the fine folks at CNN working hard here in the NEWSROOM.

Well, the independent film "Precious" is up for six Oscars tomorrow, and last night it was the big winner at the Spirit Awards. It swept all five categories in which it was nominated -- best feature, best director, best actress, best supporting actress, and best first screenplay.

The Spirit Awards recognizes achievements in independent film. "Crazy Heart" picked up two big prizes. Best actor for Jeff Bridges and best first feature.

LUI: We just saw a clip from the film "Precious," but but how many of you can recognize or even name the director? He's been quietly putting out solid movies for years, and this one in particular about an abused Harlem teenager could immortalize his name in Oscar gold.

Here's CNN's Kareen Wynter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Kareen Wynter.

LEE DANIELS, OSCAR NOMINEE: Hi.

WYNTER: Being nominated for an Oscar, sum up what that means to you.

DANIELS: It means that my kids will respect me for a couple more months.

(LAUGHTER)

WYNTER: That's it?

DANIELS: Yes. It means I'm a superstar at home for a couple of months.

WYNTER: Lee Daniels is a bona fide superstar, even outside of his home these days. He's been producing and directing for nearly a decade, and now his critically acclaimed movie "Precious," based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire, has six, that's right, six Oscar nominations, including one for best director.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody loves me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People do love you, Precious.

WYNTER: Daniels is only the second African-American to be nominated for best director. The 50-year-old openly gay Philadelphia native produced "Monster's Ball," "The Woodsman" and "Shadow Boxer." Daniels dealt a blow to his manager and fired him because he didn't believe in "Precious."

DANIELS: I did it for me as I do all of my films. So all this is just icing on the cake. WYNTER: Come March 7th, if he hears the words "And the Oscar goes to Lee Daniels"?

DANIELS: I can't dream that far. It would be nice if that happened, but I'm just happy to be at the party.

WYNTER: In Hollywood, I'm Kareen Wynter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: And don't forget to tune in to CNN's special "Road to Gold." You can check out all the stars as soon as they arrive on the red carpet, that's always fun. That's 7:00 p.m. eastern Sunday only on CNN right here.

NGUYEN: Looking forward to that.

The question is, will the weather hold up for Oscars? We'll be checking in with Reynolds for that and much more, including the Dalai Lama in his own words. Stay with us for my interview with his holiness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody.

For 600 years there has been a Dalai Lama. Buddhists believe each leader is a reincarnation of the first. But the 14th Dalai Lama, the one serving now, may be the last.

I recently sat down with his holiness to find out, and you might find his answer surprising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (on camera): You're the 14th Dalai Lama. There is a lot of concern that you may be the last Dalai Lama. Do you think that you will?

DALAI LAMA, EXILED TIBETAN SPIRITUAL LEADER: The name, institution, Dalai Lama -- as early as '69 I made clear officially the very institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not is up to the people. So I don't care.

NGUYEN (voice-over): For a man of peace, the 14th Dalai Lama has been unable to avoid a life of controversy. In 1937, he was just two years old when monks believed he was the reincarnated leader. The world was changing around the young boy.

By 1959, communist China had tightened its grip on Tibet. The Dalai Lama fled for his life to India and remains in exile today. His holiness is fully aware China will install its own Dalai Lama, so there could be two, but only one that carries on the Tibetan tradition.

In order for that to continue, the Dalai Lama may choose to be reincarnated outside of Tibet, and that's not all that could change. The 15th Dalai Lama could even be a female.

DALAI LAMA: In case people want to keep this institution and also the successor, also people want to follow traditional way, then they search, one boy or one child. But that also depends on the circumstances if the people want as a female, then that also is possible.

And anyway, if the circumstances still remain like this, we are outside Tibet. And then the reincarnation of Dalai Lama logically find in free country. Why? The very purpose of the reincarnation is to carry continuously the task we started previous life.

So I come in a free country, I escape to free country to serve a purpose. So till that purpose is not fulfilled, not achieved, then the reincarnation must be, true reincarnation must be who carry continuously that task of not yet achieved, accomplished.

NGUYEN (on camera): So it will continue?

DALAI LAMA: Yes.

The Chinese government even now for a few years already talking about future Dalai Lama, so sometimes Chinese government more concerned about future Dalai Lama than me.

(LAUGHTER)

Politically of course. So they choose one who is a Dalai Lama, official Dalai Lama, but not Tibetan's heath Dalai Lama.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you this -- do you ever think you will go back to a free Tibet?

DALAI LAMA: Oh, yes, certainly. Everybody, all Tibetans. It's a belief that things will change. So this is a hope they I will return.

NGUYEN: In this lifetime do you think you will?

DALAI LAMA: Oh, yes, certainly. Certainly.

NGUYEN: You turn 75 this summer. In this lifetime?

DALAI LAMA: This is our hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: He says and "That is our hope." And he definitely wants to go back to a free Tibet.

But if that doesn't occur in this lifetime, he is very open to the idea the next Dalai Lama, if, indeed, there is a next Dalai Lama, that that person being reincarnated outside of Tibet, possibly even a female. I find that so fascinating.

LUI: And speaking on very high levels but also on very personal levels with you throughout your interview, right?

NGUYEN: Yes. I learned a lot about him. This is a man who is fascinated by science, who loves strawberry jam, but when you ask him who inspires you, he says his mother. To me that was heartwarming because, you know, he often calls himself a simple Buddhist monk. I asked him if you weren't a monk, what would you be? He said just a simple human being.

So there's a lot about him that goes to the basics of humanity. And I think when people hear his teachings and philosophy, that's what resonates.

LUI: Were you surprised by that?

NGUYEN: I was in a way, because this is a person who has studied for all his life, who -- a man of faith who was chosen at age two as, you know, the 14th Dalai Lama. And to go through all that he's gone through.

At age 15, he was, you know, the leader of six million people and facing a war with China. So just imagine what you were doing at 15 years old, and now almost 75 years old he still hopes to go back to his home country.

NGUYEN: With an infectious laugh.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: That is the beauty of it.

LUI: Yes, that's true.

NGUYEN: That laugh, I tell you. He's a very joyful man.

LUI: Yes.

NGUYEN: He truly is. That inner peace comes through.

LUI: All right. That was a great interview. Fantastic stuff, Betty. All right.

NGUYEN: Thank you, thank you. I enjoyed it.