Live from Baghdad

Iraq invades Kuwait, with tanks rolling into Kuwait City on August 2, 1990. CNN selects Robert Wiener and his crew to go to Baghdad to cover the invasion from the front lines. This marks the start of their perilous war coverage.

CNN wires Wiener and his team to cover the war from Baghdad. On the way, Wiener meets his colleague and producer Ingrid Formanek at Rome International Airport, signaling the launch of their Baghdad assignment.

The crew arrives in Baghdad on August 23 and checks into the Al-Rasheed Hotel. They quickly notice they are being monitored by Iraqi authorities as they begin reporting. The stage is set for tense interactions with officials and tight controls on their coverage.

Their first dispatch covers a young British boy held hostage by Saddam Hussein. The story draws attention from the Iraqi government and invites pressure and pushback. The crew becomes a focal point of government scrutiny as they seek more access.

Wiener meets Iraqi Minister of Information Naji Al Hadithi and requests equipment and an interview with Hussein. The two men form a cautious but growing friendship that influences what coverage the crew can obtain. This relationship shapes later access to key stories.

The Iraqis grant the CNN team access to Americans held in the country, who are used as human shields at potential bombing sites. After interviewing an American named Bob Vinton, he goes missing, heightening the crew's worry. The situation underscores the risks of reporting inside a controlled environment.

Al Hadithi arranges a Saddam Hussein interview but instead takes the crew to Kuwait on October 17. They cover the incubator baby story in three Kuwaiti hospitals, but Iraqi authorities stop further interviews when ground rules are enforced. This moment deepens the crew's exposure to both war reporting and political constraints.

Back in Baghdad, the CNN crew finds themselves the only Americans in Kuwait as the conflict unfolds. Their presence in Kuwait draws attention and adds significance to their coverage while they remain under strict scrutiny.

After earlier disagreements, Al Hadithi agrees to provide a Saddam Hussein interview. On October 29, 1990 they interview Saddam at one of his presidential palaces, where Hussein makes a pointed comparison about Kuwait and U.S. ties.

The crew shifts focus to covering the release of American hostages from Iraq, reporting on their safe returns. Wiener also learns that Bob Vinton has survived, bringing a measure of relief amid mounting tension. The narrative expands from battlefield footage to human outcomes.

The United Nations sets a January 15, 1991 deadline for Iraq to withdraw. As tensions rise, Iraqi forces install anti-aircraft guns in Baghdad and CNN establishes a four-wire link to its Atlanta facility via Jordan, enabling live broadcasts to the United States.

Bernard Shaw returns to Baghdad on January 13 to press for another Hussein interview as the deadline nears. The access underscores CNN's unique ability to broadcast from within a war zone and shapes the final days of the siege.

As the deadline passes, Baghdad empties and businesses shut down while journalists scramble to evacuate. Americans and other foreign media begin pulling back in fear of impending bombing strikes.

At around 3 a.m., U.S. F-117 Nighthawk bombers strike Baghdad as Iraqi anti-aircraft guns blaze in the skies. CNN correspondents report the bombardment live via the four-wire link, with the broadcasts reaching audiences back in America.

Most of the CNN crew leaves Baghdad as bombing intensifies, but Wiener chooses to stay. He eventually returns to the United States on January 23, 1991, bringing the Baghdad assignment to a close and concluding the film's narrative arc.