 So, I've got a quick video for you just to share some unexpected good news. Whistleblower, reality winner, will in fact be leaving prison finally. She's leaving a little bit early and she's not necessarily free yet, but she's being transferred from prison to a halfway house. So for more details we've got Julia Connelly of Common Dreams who explains, press freedom advocates were among those celebrating the release of former National Security Agency contractor reality winner on Monday after her attorney announced winner had been transferred from federal prison to a halfway house. Alison Grinter Allen, winner's lawyer said the legal team is continuing to pursue a full pardon from President Joe Biden. Winner's release was not part of a commutation, but was the result of time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated according to Grinter Allen who added that San Antonio's residential reentry management field office may allow winner to serve the rest of her time in home confinement. The residential reentry center is in charge right now and will manage her transition but we are definitely still seeking commutation and pardon the attorney said in a tweeted statement. The fight continues and I'll still be taking meetings in Washington to press forward the case for commutation and pardon but the family will be stepping back to concentrate on reality and her health and healing. Winner who worked at Fort Gordon in Georgia as a contract with Pluribus International was arrested in 2017 after federal law enforcement agents determined she had given a secret document about Russian hackers targeting the U.S. election system to reporters at the intercept. She was charged under the Espionage Act and took a plea deal which included a five-year prison sentence which she is scheduled to finish serving on November 23rd of 2021. The freedom of the press foundation said Winner's release from federal prison was long overdue. Yeah and I totally agree with that sentiment there. I don't have much to add I just wanted to quickly share the good news with you but I just want to state because you can never really overestate this we have to protect whistleblowers not just individuals like reality winner but also Edward Snowden Chelsea Manning and thankfully Chelsea Manning was pardoned by Obama but she basically went back to jail because she wouldn't rat on Julian Assange and even though Julian Assange isn't technically a whistleblower per se he's a publisher of a lot of leaks and individuals may not like what he publishes particularly liberals and might not necessarily be politically expedient to you know advocate for these folks right now. I mean when I asked my senator a question about Julian Assange at a town hall I heard like audible gas because his name was like to bring it up was as if you know I mentioned Voldemort at Hogwarts it's it's ridiculous we have to make sure that we are protecting whistleblowers because the information that they release that they believe the American people should know about oftentimes is to our benefit even if the United States government wants to withhold that information from us and there's a piece in Jackbin that explains how Daniel Ellsberg what he did what he released as a whistleblower he basically is responsible in part for ending the Vietnam War so it's really important that we look out for whistleblowers and we never stop advocating for them so that's all I'll say what reality winner did here in releasing this information it was important it wasn't necessarily with regard to what the US government did but it's what they didn't want us to know she revealed information that says there was an attempt by the Russian government to hack into voting systems they were not successful but she believed that this information was important and she wanted to put that out there for her to be penalized for this in my opinion it it's absurd solely that there this is fantastic news we have to continue to look out for and advocate for whistleblowers and we can never stop the pressure we have to make sure that these folks are protected from prosecution and yeah that's it that's that's all that you know you can really say about this this is really good news it's encouraging to see and of course one of those good news I feel inclined to share it this is one of those instances where we get a bit of good news even though she should have never served time in the first place but I'll take it