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First economic shots today, and russia is apparently firing back by saying it, too, might sanction and freeze russian assets for a number of u.s. and european officials. there's some reporting today that could happen tomorrow. that russia will announce its own sanctions against u.s. officials. how far and how fast is this war going to escalate? and ultimately, how far can an economic war escalate before it eventually starts to get very close to being a shooting war? joining us now is michael mcphaul. professor, thank you very much for being with us. >> sure. thanks for having me. >> let me ask...

Consulate in seattle. what u.s. consulate general would you close in russia if it was up to you to decide. and you can see there or maybe you can't -- i think something in the neighborhood of 10,000 people have already voted. while it's common for countries to station intelligence agents overseas as undercover, undercover as diplomats, a senior administration official said there are more than 100 russian intelligence agents working as diplomats in the u.s. right now and they have described that number as unacceptable. >> jeff bennett for us live in washington, d.c. thanks for breaking that dow...

>> i'm joined by bill richardson, a former u.s. ambassador, michael mcphaul, and katty kay, reporter bbc world news america. and these are the kind of titles i can only dream of in global diplomacy. let me ask one big question and go in order, starting with katty kay, what is important about both how these staffing changes came about and what they will do to u.s. policy in the world? >> i think what's important in terms of america's relationships with both its allies and its adversaries, is that this sense of chaos in the white house, throws this white house off balance. they don't know how to...

And as soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn rush is that or whoever it may be. >> the government has concluded that it is highly likely that russia was responsible. either this was a direct act by the russian state against our country, or the russian government lost control of it's potentially catastrophic nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others. >> michael, what do you see in that contrast? >> even the prime minister was offering up some wiggle room. they lost control of their nerve agents? that's inconceivable to me, but she at least ha...