Here’s the first thing you need to know about a reported “cyber attack” against natural gas pipeline operators that was revealed last week: It wasn’t actually an attack. More here.

There’s much welcome indignation over the twin scandals at the General Services Administration and the Secret Service. Does this signal a new era of accountability? Don’t bet on it. More here.

I joined NPR’s Scott Simon recently for a discussion about unmanned aircraft, and whether we’ll soon  be seeing tiny drones flying around American cities. The full audio is here.

I was a guest today on The Diane Rehm Show, discussing drones and the future of the United States’ strategy to fight terrorism. We also discussed what drones mean for the future of war and when drones will be showing up in U.S. cities.  You can listen to the full show here.

C-SPAN covered the Ford Prize ceremony this afternoon at the National Press Club in Washington. My introduction, followed by brief remarks, begins at 16:20. Brent Scowcroft was the guest speaker–he’s at the end, and he took some questions from the audience.

I’m happy to report that The Watchers won this year’s Bernstein Award for excellence in journalism! This is a huge thrill, and I’m honored to be included in such fine company of past winners and finalists. You can read more about the award here. And here’s a write up of the evening ceremony, which was held this week at the New York Public Library.

I was a guest on this week’s “On the Media,” talking about the renewal of the Patriot Act, and whether the Obama administration is secretly interpreting the law in a way that allows the government to collect more information.

A quick bit of personal news. I’ve won the 2010 Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. Washingtonian has a nice write-up.

The award recognizes four stories I wrote last year–two for National Journal, two for Washingtonian.  The latter stories are online, here and here. There will be an awards ceremony on June 14 in Washington. Thanks to my editors on these four pieces, and to all of you for reading!

A new private intelligence outfit, formed by ex-Blackwater execs and former team members of the pre-9/11 Able Danger program, says it has human sources inside the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.

Check out the full–rather incredible–details here.

Before a team of elite Navy forces stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, they and senior US officials had closely studied a digital mock-up of the facility and even a physical miniature, able to be laid out on a table. It showed them the intelligence community’s best guess about what Bin Laden’s hiding place looked like, down to the precise location of gates, fences, windows, and doors.

Full story in Washingtonian.