I had an opportunity to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been granted political asylum since June 2012. Assange is wanted for questioning in Sweden over sex allegations, although he has never been charged. Assange believes that if sent to Sweden, he would be put into prison and then sent to the United States, where he is already being investigated for espionage for publishing hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military memos on the WikiLeaks website.

President Barack Obama has issued and signed a secret presidential directive that the Washington Post reports is “the most extensive White House effort to date to wrestle with what constitutes an ‘offensive’ and a ‘defensive’ action in the rapidly evolving world of cyberwar and cyberterrorism.”

John Kiriakou, a former CIA agent, pled guilty this morning to disclosing information identifying a covert agent. The plea was part of a deal with prosecutors to only go to jail for up to thirty months.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has proposed multiple measures purportedly to discocurage future leaks. However, the proposals, which have been included in an intelligence authorization bill for the next fiscal year, would not apply to Congress or congressional staffers and would also exempt the White House and various other Executive Branch officials.

Anti-leaks proposals approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of an intelligence authorization bill on July 24 became public yesterday. They supposeedly would prevent “unauthorized disclosures” of “classified information” from people who are not authorized to “leak.” But, the truth is this obscures the reality, which is that hysteria over leaks has created a politically manufactured crisis of which politicians like Sen. Dianne Feinstein are taking advantage to enact measures that in their totality would function like an Official Secrets Act.

The Senate Intelligence Committee passed an intelligence authorization bill yesterday that is likely to have adverse effects on whistleblowers and the media trying to cover national security matters. The legislation, according to committee chairwoman Senator Dianne Feinstein, would fund measures to “counter terrorist threats, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, enhance counterintelligence, conduct covert actions and collect and analyze intelligence around the globe.”

A congressional subcommittee heard statements from investigators and members of the US military who had observed shocking conditions at the Dawood military hospital in Afghanistan. The story involves corruption and a coverup by senior commanders in Afghanistan who order non-cooperation with investigators and destruction of evidence.

Former CIA agent John Kiriakou, who the United States government alleges released classified information to journalists that included the identities of a “covert CIA officer” and details on the role of “another CIA employee in classified activities,” was in court for a motion hearing on July 20 in Alexandria, Virginia. The defense and prosecution were given opportunity to argue a defense motion to dismiss on the basis that the government is pursuing a “selective” and “vindictive” prosecution.

The prosecutors have contended all along that no “actual damage” has to be proven. Military prosecutor Maj. Ashden Fein said in April, “Whether the accused knew or thought he knew which documents and information would cause actual harm to the United States is irrelevant to his specific acts for which he is charged.” During the upcoming motion hearing on July 16, the matter will be decided in court and the defense may be significantly restricted from discussing what many in the public likely think was the key issue with Manning’s alleged leaks—that damage was supposedly done to US national security.

A United States judge ruled on Monday the whistleblower provisions passed in the Dodd-Frank law in 2010 could be applied retroactively to protect not only people employed by parent companies but also those working for subsidiaries of parent companies. The expanded coverage thus applies even to cases initiated before Dodd-Frank.