The Espionage Act is a central legal and political issue in the podcast episodes discussed, as it has been used to prosecute and threaten to extradite Julian Assange for publishing classified information through WikiLeaks.

The episodes highlight how the use of the Espionage Act against Assange has raised concerns about press freedom and the implications for journalists reporting on sensitive government information, as seen in the episodes 'Another Take: The trial of Julian Assange' and 'A win for Julian Assange and a loss for press freedom?'.

The episodes also discuss the legal intricacies of applying the Espionage Act in Assange's case, such as how it may relate to the Presidential Records Act, as mentioned in the episode 'A Terrorism Briefing from a Goldendoodle'