Julian Assange pleads guilty in deal with US that secures his freedom, ends legal fight

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, KIMBERLY ESMORES, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his liberty and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security.

The plea was entered Wednesday morning in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands...