After much speculation, the Justice Department pulled back the curtain on its plan to recoup some of the dozens of millions of dollars that the government spent sponsoring confessed cheater Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong's second interview since spilling the beans to Oprah is inside this week's Sports Illustrated, and the biggest nugget so far is that his first sit-down might not have been with the confession expert but the resident hero-worshipper at NBC News, which might have brought in bigger ratings.
After weeks of speculation about how they would respond to Lance Armstrong's recent doping admission, the Justice Department has decided to join a whistleblower lawsuit that could cost the cyclist millions in damages.
Passing up his final opportunity to cooperate with the investigation from his eternal enemies at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong unveiled bigger plans for his official, non-Oprah coming-clean party: He'll only talk to a global court that doesn't exist yet.
Today in viral videos: Lance Armstrong "sings" the song "Creep," an Oscar-nominated Disney short film that's almost as good as the beginning of Up, and 60 years of pop music's valiant attempt to woo men.
It's not quite James Frey 2.0, but right after Oprah got involved, Lance Armstrong is suddenly in big trouble over a book he wrote about himself — to the tune of $5 million.
A lot of people criticized Lance Armstrong's performance for being emotionless in the first half of his big confessional interview with Oprah Winfrey, but we knew from earlier reports he was going to at least tear up at some point. It came when he spoke of telling his kids the truth.
Today in show business news: The ratings are in for the big Oprah/Armstrong interview, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg head back to war, and a look at the pilots currently in development for next season.
Paramount and J.J. Abrams have obtained the rights to a new book, and with Armstrong's Oprah confession dominating headlines this week and returning for part two tonight, we've never been more familiar with the characters. So who should play them?
A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.
Well, that happened. Lance Armstrong sat down with Oprah Winfrey and admitted mostly everything, as one does when speaking with Oprah. But what does the great Court of Public Opinion (Twitter) have to say about all this?
Lance Armstrong sat down with Oprah Winfrey and admitted using testosterone and EPO and to performing blood transfusions during the height of his career as a pro cyclist. Starting from the beginning and highlighting every important quote of the interview, here's our recap, with video.
While Oprah may claim tonight's Lance Armstrong sit-down is "the biggest interview I've ever done," she's no stranger to confessional interviews.
Dana Milbank on kids being used in the gun debate, Fred Kaplan on Mali, Jonathan Mahler on Lance Armstrong, Slavoj Žižek on European elites, and Ricky Sekhon on playing bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty.
On this special day, loaded with legal ramifications along with ratings and tell-alls, the International Olympic Committee has finally decided to strip the disgraced cyclist of his Olympic bronze medal.
The Daily Show host confronts the epic meltdown of the once-beloved cyclist — and how he's trying to dig himself out of his own lies.
A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.
Oprah Winfrey confirmed this morning that Armstrong has finally fessed up to what everyone already knew, but after a lifetime of angry, vindictive denials of performance enhancing drug use, he's only opened the door to more legal troubles.
The AP reports that Armstrong did indeed confess to doping in his Oprah interview, and CBS News has confirmed that Armstrong "has indicated a willingness to testify against others." Winfrey is expected to offer a preview in the latest stop in a series of private mea culpas that suggest he may really be telling all.
Even as Buzz Bissinger retracts a Newsweek cover story, Armsgtrong still has his defenders. Did they still buy his lies? Or did they just enable the man they're now calling a "sleazeball"? Here's a look, in their own words, as the pre-Oprah debate heats up
You don't book an interview with Oprah to deny something. It's, like, a rule. Lance Armstrong is aware of this, so it looks like he will finally admit to doping during his cycling career in their interview to be taped Monday.
Adding to her peerless collection of celebrities confidentials Oprah announced that she'd scored an exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong "in his first no-holds-barred interview."
In an interview with 60 Minutes Sports set to air Wednesday night, U.S.A.D.A. chief executive Travis Tygart says Armstrong, by way of a surrogate, tried to make an ethically dubious donation to the group.
Despite a looming mountain of legal obstacles, Lance Armstrong is considering admitting he doped during his professional cycling career in an effort to restart his career as a triathlete, according to a New York Times report.
When Paula Broadwell wrote on Facebook, "Can anyone introduce me to Lance Armstrong?" it was not social-climbing, but birthday shopping.
Would you donate to the Livestrong Foundation if Lance Armstrong weren't a part of it? That's the hope behind his resignation from the board the cancer charity he helped to found.
Here's a nifty piece of trivia to dazzle your friends at your next cocktail party: the Union Cycliste Internationale decided today that the guys who came in second (who are they?) to Lance Armstrong during his seven Tour wins will remain the first losers, as the UCI ruled it won't be moving anyone up or down even though they stripped Armstrong of the wins.
Being a seven-time Tour de France champion is more than just a title. And now that Lance Armstrong isn't a seven-time champion (Armstrong deleted his seven tour wins from his Twitter bio Monday night) the race's director wants his prize money back.
The International Cycling Union has upheld the lifetime ban given to Lance Armstrong by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and has agreed to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France championships.
Lance Armstrong's week has included new details of a potential doping ring, losing major sponsors like Nike, and even some smaller ones like Anheuser-Busch and Trek bicycles. Add a renewed interest in old race fixing accusations to that list.
After being dumped by Nike yesterday, most of Lance Armstrong remaining sponsors started piling on in the mass effort to distance themselves from his doping scandal.
The walls continue to close in on Lance Armstrong as his biggest sponsor has ended their contract with him and he's stepping down as the head of the charitable foundation that bears his name.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is going big with its charges against embattled cyclist Lance Armstrong: Not only did Armstrong dope, the agency says, he "ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Lance Armstrong seemed to accidentally tweet his phone number to the world earlier, but once Deadspin got on the case it seems the tweet might all be part of a big joke.
In an essay for Outside, Mike Anderson, Lance Armstrong's personal assistant from 2002-2004, tells us just how hard it is to go up against the man, but mostly the myth, of Lance Armstrong.
The mystifying satchel of muscles that is Jose Canseco (or his ghostwriter or team of comedy writers?) has taken to his Vice column to defend Lance Armstrong, which, well, we're sure Armstrong appreciates.
The outrageous thing about Buzz Bissinger's Newsweek cover story isn't that he's defending Lance Armstrong against the doping allegations against him, but that, in his defense of Armstrong, he's not necessarily even arguing for the athlete's innocence.
A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.
Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life by the USADA on Thursday night, but not because of new incriminating evidence, or a scandalous confession. He was banned because he's retired and wants to stop fighting their charges.
Now that a federal judge has thrown out Lance Armstrong's lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the cyclist is going to have to think fast about his next move, as the deadline looms for him to challenge doping allegations.
Today in Sports: More doping problems for cycling, Americans get dressed for London, and the NFL's attendance decline.
The federal judge who dismissed Lance Armstrong's lawsuit seeking an injunction against a USADA investigation into doping allegations against the champion cyclist didn't actually use the word "troll" but he might as well have.
Today in Sports: A shady college football deal, two pitchers get the All-Star nod, and remembering the creator of a childhood classic.
A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.
Today in Sports: Armstrong fights back, Matt Cain gets a big assist, and the Heat need a time machine.
Lance Armstrong escaped prosecution on the doping charges that have dogged him for years, but he may still lose his seven Tour de France titles thanks to a new investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
A middle school yearbook featuring the Knicks guard can be yours now for only $4,800, Billy Beane signs Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, and former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss announces plans for a comeback.
Like it or not, Lance Armstrong is not a criminal -- or at least he won't be considered one anytime soon. In a late Friday press release, the Department of Justice announced that it was going to drop its case against the seven-time Tour de France winner.
Italian newspaper says investigators have found a link between doctor and cyclist
A tense confrontation between rivals could be construed as witness tampering
The news magazine pushed back hard today at the cyclist's lawsuit threat
Have a story we missed? A link we have to click? A sharp opinion about the news? Instead of waiting for us to post it, tell us on the Open Wire.
Submit your news and ideas | See all reader postsThe Atlantic Wire is your authoritative guide to the news and ideas that matter most right now. Our team tracks newsmakers and opinions across the entire media spectrum: newspapers, web sites, television, radio and magazines.
But we do more than just collect information. By synthesizing, analyzing and summarizing what’s out there, and adding new information when we can, we are a news engine that gives you a quick and valuable account of the issues of the day.
Have a hot tip? A story we missed? Tell us on the Open Wire
How to send us editorial or technical feedback
Get Five Best Columns in your inbox each morning (preview)
