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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in U.S. court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in violation of the Espionage Act. The plea was part of a deal which secured his freedom. Assange left a UK prison earlier this week and flew to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the western Pacific. After pleading guilty, Judge Ramona V Manglona sentenced him to time served. The court appearance took place in Saipan because of Assange's opposition to traveling to the U.S. mainland, as well as the island's proximity to his home country, Australia. After sentencing, Assange flew to Australia. This audio recording has not been edited and reflects the entirety of Julian Assange's court appearance.

Officials from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) held a media briefing on Friday to discuss the upcoming severe solar storm, which is forecast to arrive on Friday night. NOAA has issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the first one since 2005, after a series of moderate to strong solar flares. A severe solar storm can disrupt communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.

Watch the path of totality in detail, crossing parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada. For Canada this is the first total solar eclipse since 1979 and for Mexico since 1991. The next one in the U.S. will be in 2044.