Missed Paychecks, NBA Gambling Scandal, Russia Reacts

Summary

Up First from NPR

Episode Title: Missed Paychecks, NBA Gambling Scandal, Russia Reacts
Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Steve Inskeep, A Martinez, Rachel Martin
Guests/Contributors: Andrea Hsu, Becky Sullivan, Charles Mainz

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Overview

This episode of Up First highlights three top stories dominating the headlines:

1. The prolonged U.S. government shutdown and its real-world impact on federal workers and communities.
2. A sweeping NBA gambling scandal that has led to arrests of high-profile players and a coach, shaking the league’s integrity.
3. Russia’s reaction to new U.S. sanctions targeting its top oil companies, amid fluctuating diplomatic signals from President Trump on the Ukraine conflict.

The episode offers in-depth analysis, field reporting, and reactions from those involved or affected.

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1. Government Shutdown: Federal Workers Miss Paychecks

Starts: [02:08]

Key Points

• Scope of Impact:
  • Nearly 1.5 million federal workers are not being paid as the government shutdown enters Day 24.
  • 700,000 are furloughed (not working & not paid), the rest are working without pay.
• Failed Senate Bills:
  • Republicans proposed paying currently working employees; Democrats wanted all workers paid. Both bills failed ([02:15]).
• Personal Stories:
  • Tierra Carter, Social Security employee and union rep in Tampa, FL, describes financial strain:

    “I kind of feel like I'm in a pool and I'm trying to swim to the top, but every time I get to the middle, I'm getting knocked back down.” – Tierra Carter ([03:11])

• Resources & Coping:
  • Food banks in D.C. are serving hundreds of federal workers.
  • Credit unions offer short-term, interest-free loans to bridge pay gaps ([03:27]).
• Wider Effects:
  • Economic ripples in local communities: grocery stores & daycares near federal buildings have less foot traffic ([04:40]).
  • The public may not yet feel direct effects, but the impact grows with the shutdown’s duration.
• Uneven Relief:
  • Some workers—like those at the VA or military personnel—are still being paid due to creative budget shifts (“budgetary twister” per White House Budget Director Russ Vought) ([05:06]).
  • Law enforcement officers in immigration enforcement received delayed "super checks", sourced from redirected funds.
  • Within agencies, some get paid while colleagues do not, leading to division.
• Expert Commentary:
  • Shai Akabas, Bipartisan Policy Center:

    “Not everybody feels it yet, but it’s actually affecting the broader economy. And the longer it goes on, the more people will feel the ripple effects.” ([04:30])

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2. NBA Gambling Scandal Rocks the League

Starts: [06:08]

Key Points

• Scope & Arrests:
  • Over 30 people arrested, including Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups ([06:13]).
• Depth of Scandal:
  • Not isolated: multiple teams involved (Hornets, Raptors, Lakers, Magic, Trailblazers).
  • Players/coaches leaked confidential information to gamblers, some personally profiting.
  • Both Rozier and Billups made/make millions, yet still implicated ([06:36]).
• How It Unfolded:
  • Betting companies flagged unusual bets—e.g., $250,000 on Rozier’s unders after insider info about him leaving a 2023 game early ([07:17]).
  • The NBA investigated but initially cleared Rozier, though indictments allege deeper involvement.
  • In Billups’ case, prosecutors allege he was used as a 'celebrity lure' for rigged high-stakes poker games, employing hi-tech cheating (rigged shufflers, X-ray tables, glasses) ([08:17]).
  • Billups also allegedly shared confidential team strategies for betting purposes.
  • Both Rozier and Billups deny the allegations.
• League and Player Reactions:
  • NBA is cooperating with the FBI.
  • Players report increased harassment and pressure due to legal sports betting:

    “There’s been games where I’ve gotten called every name in the book just because I didn’t hit a three or two. I mean, that’s just the state of the game we’re in when sports betting got legal.” – Bruce Brown, Denver Nuggets, ([09:31])

  • Teams provide legal briefings at season’s start reminding players of regulations.
• Broader Trends:
  • Not limited to the NBA: The NCAA and MLB are also dealing with betting scandals.
  • Legalized sports betting increasingly entangles players, coaches, and organized crime.
  • Becky Sullivan:

    “If this isn’t a huge red flag, I don’t know what is…that’s a disaster for trust in the game.” ([10:06])

• Implications:
  • The scandal could prompt league rule changes, but it’s too soon to say.

---

3. Russia Responds to U.S. Sanctions and Diplomatic Shifts

Starts: [10:53]

Key Points

• Context:
  • President Trump first offered, then canceled, a summit with Russian President Putin as he imposed fresh sanctions ([10:58]).
  • Trump's stance on Ukraine fluctuates, pushing peace while simultaneously enacting punitive economic measures.
• Details of Sanctions:
  • Target two major Russian oil companies: Rosneft and Lukoil, responsible for half of Russia’s oil exports ([11:22]).
  • This is Trump’s first major sanction step against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
• Motivation:
  • Trump aims to brand himself as a “global peacemaker” and is frustrated by Putin’s reluctance in peace talks ([11:39]).
  • Proposed freezing the conflict along current battle lines; stalled negotiations led to sanctions instead.
  • Trump tells aides Putin often engages in "nice talk" but avoids substantive deals ([12:18]).
• Russian Reaction:
  • Moscow was surprised by the swift reversal from talks to sanctions.
  • Putin publicly downplayed the impact, saying:

    “No self-respecting country or no self-respecting people ever decide anything under pressure.” – Vladimir Putin (as paraphrased by Charles Mainz) ([13:01])

  • Putin held out hope the summit is only postponed, not canceled.
• Potential Effectiveness:
  • Putin admits the sanctions are ‘harmful but not fatal’ to Russia’s economy ([13:24]).
  • Russia is experienced in working around oil sanctions, but difficulties could escalate if China and India scale back imports fearing further repercussions.
  • Risks exist for the U.S. too, including impact on global oil prices and domestic consumers—previous administrations avoided such sanctions for this reason ([13:24]).
• Outlook:
  • Uncertain if sanctions will alter Russia’s war calculus; situation remains fluid.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Tierra Carter, Social Security worker:
  “I kind of feel like I'm in a pool and I'm trying to swim to the top, but every time I get to the middle, I'm getting knocked back down.” ([03:11])

• Bruce Brown, NBA player:
  “There’s been games where I’ve gotten called every name in the book just because I didn’t hit a three or two. I mean, that’s just the state of the game we’re in when sports betting got legal.” ([09:31])

• Charles Mainz, on Putin's response:
  “No self-respecting country or no self-respecting people ever decide anything under pressure.” ([13:01])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:08] — Start of government shutdown coverage
• [06:08] — NBA gambling scandal
• [10:53] — Russia, Trump, and new sanctions

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This episode of Up First delivers concise, comprehensive coverage of the shutdown’s human cost, the NBA’s integrity crisis, and evolving U.S.–Russia tensions in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Each segment includes expert voices, real-world impact, and analysis of potential consequences for listeners starting their news day.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

More than a million federal workers are missing a paycheck during this government shutdown.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

The White House says it's playing a game of Twister with the budget to keep some workers paid while others go without.

[Steve Inskeep]

I'm Steve Inskeep with Amartenas. And this is up first from NPR News. An NBA gambling scandal is shaking the sports world with an active player and head coach among those arrested. The case sounds like a movie script, one that involves millions of doll mafia and high tech equipment to rig poker games.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

And Russia responds after the US Placed sanctions on two of the country's largest oil companies. President Putin says they won't have any impact and shrugged off the canceled meeting with President Trump. So what does this mean for the war in Ukraine? Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

It's day 24 of the government shutdown and across the country, close to a million and a half federal workers are going without pay.

[Steve Inskeep]

On Thursday, the Senate voted on Democratic and Republican bills to pay federal employees. Republicans would have paid the people still working. Democrats would have paid everybody, including those on furlough. Both bills failed.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

NPR's Andrea Hsu joins us now to talk about it. So Andrea, tell us about who exactly is not getting paid.

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, so these are civilian employees of the government all over the country and roughly 700,000 of them are furloughed, meaning they're not working and not getting paid. And close to that many are working but also not getting paid this includes, you know, air traffic controllers, also people working at the Social Security Administration, like Tierra Carter. She answers the 1-800-line- there from her base in Tampa, Florida. And she's also a union rep for the American Federation of Government Employees. And she says the shutdown has been a real financial hit. You know, she's had to take out loans and seek out a hardship withdrawal from her 401k.

[Commercial Announcer]

I kind of feel like I'm in.

[Andrea Hsu]

A pool and I'm trying to swim to the top, but every time I.

[Commercial Announcer]

Get to the middle, I'm getting knocked back down.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

That's gotta feel rough. What kind of resources are available to federal workers like her who find themselves suddenly struggling to try and get by?

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, here in the D.C. area, where there's a high concentration of federal workers, food banks have been distributing boxes of provisions to government employees. Those events have drawn hundreds of people with lines stretching around the block in a. A lot of federal workers do their banking at credit unions. And now these credit unions all over the country are offering short term interest free loans to help with things like house payments or car payments until their next paychecks arrive. And credit unions say they've been hearing from more federal workers every day.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Now, here's the thing, though. I mean, as bad as things are for federal employees, I mean, there are a lot of people listening right now, Andrea, who might not be noticing that there's anything, you know, astray and anything amiss.

[Becky Sullivan]

Right.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

So because there are parts of the government that are still functioning. So when exactly might there be an impact of the shutdown that people will feel?

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, it really depends on how long the shutdown goes on. If it drags on and on, experts say the general public will feel the economic effects in their communities. I spoke with Shai Akabas about this. He's with the Bipartisan Policy center, that's a think tank here in Washington.

[Commercial Announcer]

Not everybody feels it yet, but it's.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Actually affecting the broader economy.

[Commercial Announcer]

And the longer it goes on, the more people will feel the ripple effects.

[Andrea Hsu]

Grocery stores that are located near federal buildings are seeing less foot traffic. Daycares are seeing fewer kids because their parents are now furloughed. Things like that are already happening.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Okay, there are, though, some federal workers that are getting paid. Who are they and where is that money coming from?

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah, well, in any shutdown, there are people who continue working and getting paid because their salaries don't come from the funding that Congress has to approve every year. So most everyone at the VA falls into this category.

[Charles Mainz]

But.

[Andrea Hsu]

But this time. The Trump administration has also moved money around to ensure that some others are also getting paid. White House Budget Director Russ Vogt called this budgetary twister. So, for example, last week, members of the military did get their paychecks on schedule. That money came from unused research and development funds from the Defense Department. And this week, law enforcement officers doing immigration enforcement got what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called a super check that included pay all the way back to October 1st. Their paychecks are coming from money approved for Homeland Security as part of last summer's tax and spending bill. But you know, some of their colleagues, those serving in support roles, are still not getting paid. So in the shutdown, a increasingly there are haves and have nots within the federal workforce. And in some cases, they're working right alongside each other.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

That's NPR's Andrea Hsu. Thanks a lot.

[Andrea Hsu]

Thank you.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

The NBA says it's cooperating with the FBI's investigation into illegal gambling.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah, Federal authorities arrested more than 30 people yesterday. They include an active pro player, Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat, and an active coach, Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trailblazers.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

So how widespread is this? NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan is with us. Becky, this would be a big deal if it was just one player, but this is way more than that.

[Becky Sullivan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. It's not just one player. It's not just one team. According to the indictment, the scandal involved leaks from multiple teams. You had players or coaches with the Charlotte Hornets, the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic, and the Portland Trailblazers all allegedly sharing non public information with gamblers or friends who then told gamblers. And I think the access that crime rings and organized gamblers apparently have to NBA players and coaches should be a serious concern for the league because it's clear that even those who are making millions of dollars are at risk for getting swept up in this stuff. I mean, Billups made more than a hundred million dollars over the course hall of Fame, NBA career. He makes millions per year as a coach. Roger was on a contract to make $26 million this year alone.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Yeah. How, how did all this even come to light?

[Becky Sullivan]

Well, the way that these modern online gambling companies work is that there are these monitoring services that track bets across platforms looking for unusual patterns. And so if you take the Terry Rogier game, for example, this was a game back in 2023. He told a friend that he was going to withdraw early from the game with an injury. That wasn't public information at the time the friend allegedly sold that information to a gambler and then organized better collectively around a quarter million dollars on various prop bets, basically saying, guessing that Rozier would have a worse game than usual. And so obviously, when you have a quarter mill all flooding in on sort of a relatively random players unders that rings alarm bells. The NBA was notified. The league actually investigated at the time and cleared Rozier of wrongdoing. Although the indictment alleges that Rozier knew what was happening and had conspirators come to his home afterward to count their earnings. Roger's lawyer, I should say, denies this and plans to fight these charges.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Now, Chauncey Billups was inducted into the Naismith hall of fame in 2024. He's the highest profile person named so far. So what are the charges against him?

[Becky Sullivan]

Well, he faces account of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to money launder. Both of those are related actually to an indictment about underground poker games. In that indictment, prosecutors alleged that organized crime groups basically run these games and use Billups. They say that they used Billups as a celebrity to sort of lure in victims. And then the organizers used all this high tech equipment like rigged shuffling machines and x ray poker tables and special glasses to cheat and win. But the other indictment that's about sports gambling, Billups is not named there, but there is an unnamed co conspirator described in a way that matches Billups exactly the years he played in the league when he became a coach. That person shared confidential info about how the Trailblazers were planning to sit their stars in a game against the Chicago Bulls with a defendant, who then shared that info with gamblers who then wagered more than $100,000 on the game successful successfully. Phillips, you know, his lawyer said in a statement to me, they deny the allegations both related to the poker and providing insider information, and said, quote, we look forward to our day in court.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

How's the league been reacting to this?

[Becky Sullivan]

I mean, I think people are stunned by what's happening. You know, people lamenting that just this mix of sort of social media, everybody's easy to contact, plus widespread legalization of gambling results in this constant contact with gamblers. Here's how Bruce Brown, a guard at the Denver Nuggets, put it to reporters yesterday.

[Commercial Announcer]

There's been games where I've gotten called every name in the book just because I didn't hit a three or two. I mean, that's just the state of the game we're in when sports betting got legal. So I mean, just kind of deal with it, not think about it. Don't check your DMs after games.

[Becky Sullivan]

Also, every team has their general counsel come talk to players before the season began to tell them what to do, what not to do, what's legal, what's not. And obviously no betting on games, no sharing that kind of confidential information with gamblers. For many teams, that talk happened this week. So it's obviously jarring for this news to happen.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Now, Becky, I know this is very fresh right now, but will this prompt any change with the NBA?

[Becky Sullivan]

Yeah, I mean, it is too soon to tell, but certainly if this isn't a huge red flag, I don't know what is. You had active players, active coaches involved. And frankly, I think that's a disaster for trust in the game. And it's not just the NBA that is dealing with this stuff. By the way, the NCAA banned A handful of D1 college basketball players last month because they had gambled directly on their own games or worked with gamblers to do so. Major League Baseball is investigating a pair of pitchers with the Cleveland Guardians who were the subject of suspicious betting activity this summer. And all of this, of course, is why these leagues used to be vocally against legalizing sports gambling. But that ship has now sailed and there is a lot of money to be made by embracing it.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

That's NPR's Becky Sullivan. Becky, thanks.

[Charles Mainz]

You're welcome.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

We have the view from Moscow of President Trump's shifting efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

[Steve Inskeep]

In recent days, President Trump said he would hold another summit meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Then he said he wouldn't. He has said Ukraine will have to surrender territory to the Russian invaders, yet also imposed new sanctions on Russia.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

NPR's Moscow correspondent Charles Mainz is watching all of this from the Russian capital. Charles, so let's start with these sanctions. They seem to be a bit of a shift in Trump's approach to Russia. Tell us more about them. Yeah, sure.

[Charles Mainz]

These sanctions target two of Russia's top oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, which jointly make up nearly half of Russian oil exports. And they're significant because they mark the first time Trump has followed through on threats to make Russia pay a price for its war in Ukraine.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

So why now?

[Charles Mainz]

Well, it's no secret Trump wants to see this war end, part of his larger mission, I think, to cast himself as a global peacemaker, you know. And Trump has expressed real frustration with Putin's foot dragging on a peace deal, most recently with this summit meeting agreed to and then tabled in A matter of days. Now, the reason is negotiations to set up the meeting showed zero flexibility from the Russian side, flexibility that Trump thought he had from Putin, including to Trump's latest proposal, which was to freeze the conflict along current battle lines. Now, was this a case of missed signals, of being played? We just don't know. But Trump said with Putin he found it was often nice talk, but the actual deal making went nowhere. And so sanctions.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

And Charles, what about Russian reaction to all this? Because I can't imagine their pleasure.

[Charles Mainz]

They are not. I think though, this took Moscow a bit by surprise. You know, one moment they're up next, they're down. The summit idea itself came out of a phone call that Putin initiated with Trump, just as Trump was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the possibility of giving US long range weapons, these Tomahawk missiles you may have heard about. Trump then decides not to give the Tomahawks and said he'll meet with Putin instead, which was seen as a real coup here in Moscow until it wasn't. You know, suddenly it's no meeting now. Sanctions. Putin addressed the issue last night with reporters saying this undermin recent progress in restoring relations with the US that he hoped the meeting with Trump wasn't canceled but postponed. But he also gave no ground. So here he says no self respecting country or no self respecting people ever decides anything under pressure.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

All right now, Charles, is there any way to think that these sanctions might work and might change Vladimir Putin's calculus when it comes to negotiating an end to the war?

[Charles Mainz]

Well, for now, the answer would seem to be no. Putin acknowledged these sanctions were harmful, but insisted they were not fatal to the Russian economy. And it's true, you know, oil revenues make up a significant portion of the federal budget. But there are others, and certainly Russia has a lot of practice with sanctions of Asia, including in the energy sector. But this could make things really uncomfortable for Russia, particularly if China and India scale back oil imports out of fear of secondary sanctions, for example. But then again, you know, there are risks for Trump here too. His predecessor, Joe Biden, didn't impose sanctions on Russian oil for a reason. He was afraid of how they might affect global markets and of course, how they might affect American consumers.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

NPR's Moscow correspondent Charles Mainnes. Charles, thank you.

[Charles Mainz]

Thank you.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

That's up first for Friday, October 24th. I'm Amartinez.

[Steve Inskeep]

And I'm Steve Inskeep. New Zealand is undergoing an experiment to try to save its endangered wildlife by killing all animals that are not native how far should people go to reverse the damage people caused?

[Becky Sullivan]

Though it is a bit gross, it's actually quite an ethical thing because it's easier if you kill off something that's causing a problem, then kill off everything else.

[Steve Inskeep]

Listen to the Sunday story right here on NPR's Up first podcast.

[NPR Host (possibly Rachel Martin or similar)]

Today's episode of Up first was edited by Emily Kopp, Russell Lewis, Kate Bartlett, Mohamed El Bardisi and Martha Ann Overland. It was produced by Ziad Buch, Ben Abrams and Chris Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carly Strange, and our executive producer is Jay Shaylor. Join us again on this feed.

[Steve Inskeep]

If you say so.

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