they're having a problem finding counterparts to deal with in the state department, saying that nearly half of the management apparently has either resigned or left office in the transfer of power in washington, and now for a lot of burning issues out there, issues like the ongoing war in ukraine, the latest flap around iran and its nuclear program, and allegations that it's sponsoring terror, there is nobody there on the u.s. side for russian officials to speak with and reach out to, and that's making it difficult to do ordinary diplomacy at a time when there are so many hot issues around the world. this official saying, well, it's probably going to take time to fill those posts. but in the meantime, these crises, these flash points are not getting better any time soon. brooke? >> ivan watson, thank you for being on the story for us in moscow. thank you. quickly before i hand it over to d.c., let's look at live