Things to know about how Julian Assange and US prosecutors arrived at a plea deal to end his case

The plea deal resulting in WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's freedom was the culmination of a lengthy negotiation process that accelerated in recent months and featured numerous proposals and counterproposals. The plea was entered on the Pacific island of Saipan, consistent with Assange's distrust of the U.S. government and unwillingness to step foot in the continental United States. It unfolded against the backdrop of a slow-moving extradition process that left it unclear that Assange would ever be transferred from Britain to the U.S. He's now back home in Australia, but it's unclear what he intends to do.