Armstrong teammates recount dodging, tricking drug testers

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has denied numerous accusations of doping over the years. Look back at his record-setting career. Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later. In 1995, Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France. He finished 36th overall and finished the race for the first time that year. Armstrong rides for charity in May 1998 at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997. Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999. After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders. Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time. Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001. After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race. Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003. It was his fifth consecutive win. Jay Leno interviews Armstrong on "The Tonight Show" in 2003. After his six consecutive Tour de France win in 2004, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with his then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year. Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive victory. As a cancer survivor, Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century. In 2009, Armstrong suffers a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain along with more than a dozen other riders. Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground using yellow chalk ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year. Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation. In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to the hospital. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis. Ahead of what he said would be his last Tour de France, Armstrong gears up for the start of the race in 2010. Lance Armstrong looks back as he rides in a breakaway during the 2010 Tour de France. Armstrong finishes 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer. Armstrong's son Luke; twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radioshack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France. The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010. In February 2012, Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June. He got back into the sport after retiring from professional cycling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "We hid" from drug tests, cyclist Tyler Hamilton told doping investigators Tipoffs and timing helped conceal drug use as well, report finds Armstrong denies doping allegations (CNN) -- Blood transfusions. Saline injections. Back-dated prescriptions and tipoffs to coming tests. Former teammates of cycling superstar Lance Armstrong recounted a wide range of techniques used to beat the sport's drug-testing regimen to investigators from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which released its findings on the seven-time Tour de France winner Wednesday. But perhaps the most effective one was the most low-tech: laying low. Attorney: Armstrong case a 'witch hunt' 'Dope, or don't compete at highest level' Brennan on Armstrong: 'He gave up' Armstrong won't fight doping charges "We hid," the report quotes former U.S. Postal Service team member Tyler Hamilton. "At the time, the whereabouts programs of drug testing agencies were not very robust." The sport's international governing body, the UCI, "did not even have an out of competition testing program. If a tester did show up, you typically would not get a missed test even if you decided not to answer the door. In any case, there was no penalty until you had missed three tests. So, avoiding testing was just one more way we gamed the system." Highlights of the Armstrong report The team's staff "was good at being able to predict when riders would be tested and seemed to have inside information about the testing," states the nearly 200-page decision, which was backed by hundreds of pages of supporting documents. During Armstrong's comeback attempt in 2009, his Astana team "benefited from privileged information or timing advantages during doping control tests." And in 2010, Armstrong himself "was providing untimely and incomplete whereabouts information to USADA, thereby making it more difficult to locate him for out of competition testing." Armstrong has consistently denied doping accusations, and his lawyer called the USADA probe a "witch hunt" Wednesday. But he has stopped contesting the allegations, and he faces being stripped of his titles. The riders also told of timing their use of rythropoietin, or EPO, which boosts the number of red blood cells that carry oxygen to the muscles, to avoid detection. The substance was undetectable before 2000 and currently can be detected only for a short time. The riders cut that time further by injecting it into a vein rather than under the skin, meaning it would be gone "in a matter of hours." Evidence of Armstrong doping 'overwhelming,' agency says They used testosterone in much the same way, taking small doses at night so that they could pass a drug test the following morning. And they also had infusions of saline solution before a test, which throws off a test that measures red blood cell concentration. That sometimes required fancy footwork, and there were some close calls, the riders said. During the 1998 world cycling championships, a UCI tester showed up unannounced and started setting up at a bed and breakfast where Armstrong's team was staying. A team doctor went outside to their car, retrieved a bottle of saline "and smuggled it right past the UCI tester and into Armstrong's bedroom," the report states. Teammate Jonathan Vaughters told investigators that they later "had a good laugh about how he had been able to smuggle in saline and administer it to Lance essentially under the UCI inspector's nose." Armstrong: It's time to move forward CNN's Matt Smith and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

Biden vs. Ryan -- VP debate could shift momentum

King: Americans pick presidents on Election Day, not vice presidents That doesn't mean the Biden, Ryan debate doesn't matter, he says Both sides hope for a win to give their campaign momentum, King says (CNN) -- Yes, the debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan is sure to be entertaining, and it comes at an important moment in a highly competitive presidential campaign. But let's not get carried away. Some healthy context, courtesy of Republican pollster Whit Ayres: "Dan Quayle got his clock cleaned in his VP debate and still ended up as vice president." That's because Americans pick presidents on Election Day, not vice presidents. Will nervous tics and trips of the tongue fell veep candidates? Debating Paul Ryan 'Dead Fred' takes seat at VP debate Pressure on Biden and Ryan in debate Advice from Palin? Ryan Says "Sure" For all the hype, there is scant evidence of a game-changing vice presidential debate in our political history and plenty of reason to believe there is but one overriding challenge. "The key for both VP candidates is to come across as competent potential presidents," said Ayres. "If they pass that test, then they have done their jobs." Still, given the moment, even Ayres concedes Thursday night's showdown does matter some. "A great performance by Ryan will keep Republican momentum going, and will help his post-2012 political career," he said. "But it's not likely to have a large impact on the presidential race one way or another." That view -- the belief any impact will be limited -- is in part based on the history of debates, and in part on the timing of this one: President Obama and Mitt Romney stage their second debate just a few days after their running mates get their one debate spotlight. So, the men atop the ticket will yield the stage only briefly. Still, both sides have clear goals for the Biden-Ryan face-off. CNN exclusive: How Ryan sharpens debate skills "Our sense is it matters a lot and that it is an opportunity," said a top Romney adviser who spoke to CNN only on condition of anonymity because the campaign's public line is to play down expectations. This Romney adviser played up the generational contrast, suggesting voters in Ryan's demographic -- 30 years old to 50 years old -- voice "the brunt of the economic angst" over the job market, housing prices and America's competitive standing in the global economy. "Ryan knows this story really well," the Romney adviser said. "He is our generational argument up against Biden's experience and age. Ryan should play well in this key demographic and he knows how to have this conversation." Democrats, though, see an opportunity to make political gains by highlighting controversial aspects of the budget plan Ryan wrote for House Republicans. "There are still a lot of questions about how Romney would integrate Ryan's budget plan," said Democratic pollster Margie Omero. "There is no greater way to illustrate the difference between the two camps on fighting for the middle class than with a debate between Ryan and Biden." Share your questions for the candidates Omero's big question: "How will Ryan talk about his proposed cuts to the safety net?" She also wonders what will happen "if Ryan gets testy" defending his plan, voicing Democratic hopes that Biden can put his GOP opponent back on his heels. Democratic hopes for an aggressive Biden performance are amplified because of the at times lackluster showing Obama turned in during his first showdown with Romney. Even Obama allies concede the president was hardly at his best, and that he left several potential openings on the table. If nothing else, what Democrats want most from Biden is a morale boost. Republican morale is on an upswing at the moment and they hope for a strong Ryan showing to keep their spirits high heading into the far more important Obama-Romney debates. A top Romney campaign aide framed it this way when asked how much the VP debate mattered: "A little," this aide said. "It can continue our momentum and the Obama slide, or it can settle the waters." Obama on debate: 'I was just too polite'

University official on leave for signing anti-gay marriage petition

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News The chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University was put on administrative Wednesday after the school learned she had signed a petition supporting efforts to reverse Maryland's same-sex marriage law, media reports say. Dr. Angela McCaskill signed the petition at her church after her preacher spoke against gay marriage, the Planet DeafQueer blog reported on Monday, citing a Gallaudet faculty member who first spotted the administrator's name on the document. Voters in Maryland will decide on Nov. 6 whether to keep a state law passed earlier this year approving same-sex marriage. "I want to inform the community that I have placed Dr. Angela McCaskill on paid administrative leave effective immediately. It recently came to my attention that Dr. McCaskill has participated in a legislative initiative that some feel is inappropriate for an individual serving as Chief Diversity Officer; however, other individuals feel differently," Gallaudet University President T. Alan Hurwitz said in a statement. "I will use the extended time while she is on administrative leave to determine the appropriate next steps taking into consideration the duties of this position at the university. In the meantime an interim Chief Diversity Officer will be announced in the near future." Gallaudet spokeswoman Catherine Murphy told Buzzfeed that the university did not have "a policy against political participation." When asked about the nature of the petition and if the university had any policy regarding such political participation, Murphy told NBC News in an email: "For the moment we are sticking with this (Hurwitz) statement. Please understand that in an administrative personnel matter we won't be saying anything more until we get complete clarity on what took place." McCaskill was the first deaf African American female to earn a Ph.D. from Gallaudet, where she has worked for 23 years in various roles, including becoming the Deputy to the President and Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion deputy to the president and associate provost of diversity and inclusion in 2011, according to her biography on the university website. She did not respond to an email seeking comment and it was not possible to leave a phone message. For 1st time, gay marriage may win statewide vote US immigration chief: Same-sex ties are family ties Did Supreme Court justice tip hand on gay marriage? Appeals court: Denying federal benefits to same-sex couples is unconstitutional Despite marriage progress, gay couples face big hurdles to parenthood Reaction to the news was mixed on the university's Facebook page, with some wanting to give McCaskill another chance or to learn more about what happened, and others saying she shouldn't be in the job. Teddi Fishman, director of the International Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University, said she would "stop short of saying that this case necessarily involves a lack of integrity." But she noted that people understood integrity to mean that various aspects of one's life would be in agreement. "If a person is responsible for ensuring equal opportunities for students regardless of their gender or sexual orientation and that person goes on record as being opposed to equal opportunities for people based on their gender and sexual orientation, it certainly appears that there is some incongruity," she wrote NBC News in an email. However, she noted that people also have the right to participate in the democratic process regardless of their work obligations unless they have agreed otherwise or are legally prohibited from doing so. The issue of marriage equality is not the same as the task of ensuring equality in academic settings and some could argue there were reasons -- not based on discrimination -- for opposing gay marriage, she added. "I would feel comfortable saying, however, that if I were supervising Dr. McCaskill, I would want to talk with her to make sure that her commitment to equal opportunity to all students does indeed extend to them all and to monitor the situation more carefully than I might have done had she not signed the anti-marriage petition," she said. A Baltimore Sun poll in late September found that Maryland voters favored legalizing same-sex marriage, 49 percent to 39 percent. The survey of 804 likely voters was conducted from Sept. 25 to 27 by research firm OpinionWorks. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.

Mom who glued daughter's hands: 'I'm not a monster'

Lm Otero / AP file Elizabeth Escalona, 23, faces up to 45 years in prison for abusing her daughter. By NBC News and wire services A 23-year-old Texas mother who beat her daughter and glued her hands to a wall told a Dallas judge on Wednesday that she was a monster a year ago, but she has changed. "Elizabeth Escalona is not a monster," she said of herself, according to a tweet by Dallas Morning News' crime reporter Scott Goldstein. "I want everybody to know that I'm not a monster. I love my kids. I love my babies." Escalona pleaded guilty in July to first-degree injury to a child, a felony. Prosecutors are seeking a 45-year prison sentence.  The sentencing hearing extends into its fourth day Thursday -- an unusually long time for such a hearing. It has included tearful testimony from Escalona and family members who argued the mother of five could be a better parent with proper counseling and treatment. Police say Escalona lost her temper in September 2011 with her then-2-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Cedillo, over potty training problems. Escalona beat and kicked Jocelyn before sticking her hands to an apartment wall using an adhesive commonly known as Super Glue, according to prosecutors. Jocelyn suffered bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises and bite marks, and was in a coma for a couple of days. Some skin had been torn off her hands, where doctors also found glue residue and white paint chips from the apartment wall. An image from the scene shows tiny hand prints against the wall.   Related: Texas mother who glued child's hands to wall faces possible life term Asking the judge for leniency, Escalona spoke of a young life marred by physical and sexual abuse. "It was too chaotic," she said, according to a tweet from Dallas Morning News crime reporter Scott Goldstein. "My mother and father were always arguing." Her father, she said later, molested her. Escalona wore a green and gray jail suit and glasses and punctuated her answers with "no, ma'am" or "yes, ma'am," Goldstein tweeted. She said the father of her oldest children abused her three or four times a week – a pattern that ended when she went to rehab for cocaine. Jocelyn's father was also abusive, she said. The day before she glued her daughter's hands to the wall, she fought with him, and he beat her and choked her, she said. She cried as she recounted what she did to her daughter, according to Goldstein: "I hit her, I kicked her constantly and she didn't deserve that." She described a grim home life -- four of her children slept on a sofa because a mattress was infested with bed bugs. Mental health counselor Melanie Davis testified Wednesday that she believes from the conversations she has had with Escalona that she loves her five children, one of whom was born after the attack. Davis said she has been counseling Escalona since June, nine months after her arrest. Escalona has set herself the short-term goal of finding a job and the long-term aim of getting her kids back, Davis testified, adding that the young woman "is need of further counseling services." But prosecutors have painted a portrait of a violent young woman, playing recordings of her as a teenager threatening to kill her mother. They said she was a former gang member who started smoking marijuana at age 11. Her mother, Ofelia Escalona, has stood by her daughter and now cares for Escalona's five children, including Jocelyn, who has recovered. On the stand, Ofelia Escalona burst into tears and said, "I wish as a mother that I had done more to protect my daughter." She pleaded with the judge to show her daughter mercy. Wrote oldstein in a blog post at the Dallas Morning News: That's a particularly interesting stance for Ofelia Escalona to take given that she is the one who took 2-year-old Jocelyn Cedillo to the hospital in September 2011. Jocelyn's siblings told investigators that their mother hit the child with a belt and a shoe and dragged her around by her feet. They said she kicked the girl and hit her in the stomach with a jug of milk. Ofelia Escalona is also the one now caring for Jocelyn and her four siblings. Under the terms of an agreement with Child Protective Services, the children are not allowed to have contact with their biological mother. NBC's Isolde Raftery contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: Doping agency claims proof of cheating by cyclist Armstrong Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? San Francisco sheriff reinstated despite domestic abuse conviction Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Florida woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey' Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Man behind anti-Muslims film denies violating probation

Mona Shafer Edwards / AP This Sept. 27 courtroom sketch shows Mark Basseley Youssef, right, talking with his attorney Steven Seiden in court. Youssef was behind an anti-Muslim film that sparked violence in the Middle East. By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- A California man who was behind an anti-Muslim film that sparked violence in the Middle East denied on Wednesday he violated his probation stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction.  U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Nov. 9 for Mark Basseley Youssef.  Youssef, 55, has been in a federal detention center since Sept. 28 after he was arrested for eight probation violations and deemed a flight risk by another judge. Prosecutors said Youssef lied to his probation officers about his real name and used aliases.  Youssef fled his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos and went into hiding when violence erupted in Egypt on Sept. 11 over a 14-minute trailer of "Innocence of Muslims" that was posted on YouTube. The trailer depicts Mohammad as a religious fraud, womanizer and pedophile.  The violence spread, killing dozens, and enraged Muslims have demanded severe punishment for Youssef, with a Pakistani cabinet minister offering $100,000 to anyone who kills him.  A judge will decide whether or not Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the producer behind the 'Innocence of Muslims' film, violated the terms of his 2010 conviction on bank fraud charges. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports. Youssef was arrested on Sept. 28. Federal authorities have stressed he was taken into custody for probation violations and not because of the content of the film, which is protected by the First Amendment.  Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com Youssef, a Christian originally from Egypt, was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 21 months in prison. After he was freed, he was barred from using computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer. He also wasn't supposed to use any name other than his true legal name without the prior written approval of his probation officer.  At least three names have been associated with Youssef since the film trailer surfaced — Sam Bacile, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and Youssef.  Court documents show Youssef legally changed his name from Nakoula in 2002, but he never told federal authorities while he was being prosecuted for check fraud. Orange County Superior Court documents show he wanted the change because he believed Nakoula sounded like a girl's name.  Youssef sought a passport in his new name but still had a California driver's license as Nakoula, authorities said.  Authorities said Youssef used more than a dozen aliases and opened about 60 bank accounts and had more than 600 credit and debit cards to conduct the check fraud scheme.  Bacile was the name attached to the YouTube account that posted the video.  More content from NBCNews.com: Doping agency claims proof of cheating by cyclist Armstrong Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? San Francisco sheriff reinstated despite domestic abuse conviction Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Florida woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey' Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.