Tweet with a location 
 
 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning, the transgender soldier convicted in 2013 of illegally disclosing... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning, the transgender soldier convicted in 2013 of illegally disclosing... (Associated Press) 
 
 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the release of Pvt. Chelsea Manning from a Kansas military prison (all times local): 
 
 9:15 a.m. 
 
 Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning says she's uncertain where her life will take her after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks. 
 
 Manning said in a statement Wednesday that "whatever is ahead ... is far more important than the past," and that she's "figuring things out right now." The statement was emailed just hours after her release from a military prison in Kansas. 
 
 Minutes later, she tweeted a photo of her feet in tennis shoes, with the caption: "First steps of freedom!!" 
 
 Manning, who is transgender and was known as Bradley Manning before she transitioned in prison, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations. Former President Barack Obama granted her clemency in January before he left office. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:25 a.m. 
 
 A documentary is being created about Pvt. Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks. 
 
 Pulse Films announced the film at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, the same day that Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas. The film is titled "XY Chelsea" and will be directed by British filmmaker Tim Travers Hawkins and executive produced by "Citizenfour" filmmaker Laura Poitras. 
 
 Hawkins was planning to film Manning as she was released from prison Wednesday. Producers say Manning granted filmmakers "unprecedented access." Hawkins has followed her legal team since 2014. 
 
 Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations. President Barack Obama granted her clemency in January before departing office. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:50 a.m. 
 
 The U.S. Army says Pvt. Chelsea Manning has been released from a Kansas military prison after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks. 
 
 Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith says The transgender soldier was released from Fort Leavenworth on Wednesday. Former President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency during his final days in office. 
 
 Manning, an Oklahoma native, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. 
 
 The former intelligence analyst in Iraq acknowledged leaking the materials, saying she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians. 
 
 She was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:25 a.m. 
 
 Media reports say Pvt. Chelsea Manning has been released from a Kansas military prison after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks. 
 
 NBC News, citing an unnamed U.S Army official, says Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison Wednesday at around 2 a.m. Central Time. The BBC also cites an unnamed Army representative in reporting she has left the facility. The Associated Press has not confirmed these reports. 
 
 Former President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency during his final days in office. 
 
 Manning, an Oklahoma native, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. 
 
 Previously known as Bradley Manning, the former intelligence analyst in Iraq said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:13 p.m. 
 
 Pvt. Chelsea Manning is due to be released from a Kansas military prison after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks. 
 
 The transgender soldier is scheduled to be freed from Fort Leavenworth on Wednesday in accordance with former President Barack Obama's decision to grant her clemency in his final days in office. 
 
 The Oklahoma native's attorneys and the Army have refused to say precisely when and how she will be released, citing potential safety concerns. 
 
 The former intelligence analyst in Iraq acknowledged leaking the materials, saying she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians. 
 
 She was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison. ||||| / Updated By Courtney Kube and Mary Emily O'Hara 
 
 Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning walked out of a military prison early Wednesday after seven years behind bars. 
 
 Manning's 35-year sentence for leaking an enormous trove of military intelligence records was commuted by President Barack Obama in January. 
 
 At the time, the White House said Manning had accepted responsibility, expressed remorse and served time. 
 
 A U.S Army official confirmed to NBC News that she was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison at around 3 a.m. ET. 
 
 Manning made her first statement as a free woman on Wednesday, according to a statement sent out by the ACLU. 
 
 "After another anxious four months of waiting, the day has finally arrived," said Manning. "I am looking forward to so much! Whatever is ahead of me is far more important than the past. I’m figuring things out right now — which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me." 
 
 She also uploaded the first photo taken of her in years, a snapshot of her shoes that she posted to a brand-new Instagram account. 
 
 A few hours later, Manning's dreams of finally eating a slice of pizza came true. 
 
 Pfc. Manning, 29, will remain an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, but she won't be paid a salary and it's highly unlikely that she will be called to serve. However, her "excess leave" status will legally entitle her to military medical care, along with commissary privileges. 
 
 The Crescent, Oklahoma, native tweeted after being granted clemency that she plans to move to Maryland. Neither she nor her attorneys explained why, but she has an aunt who lives there. 
 
 Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, is still appealing her conviction in a case that could take years. The government has yet to respond to the appeal. 
 
 "She is looking forward to eating pizza, swimming, playing PlayStation and meeting the many friends who have supported her over the years" 
 
 Then known as Bradley Manning, she leaked nearly 750,000 military files and cables to WikiLeaks aged 22. The materials included battlefield video. 
 
 Manning said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn't believe would harm the U.S. No document was classified higher than secret and her defenders say no one was endangered by the leaks. 
 
 Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation's most-sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety. Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures. 
 
 Manning was court-martialed and sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison. 
 
 In a statement given to NBC's TODAY the day after sentencing, Manning came out as a transgender woman. 
 
 Manning said in a statement released by her attorneys last week that she was looking forward to being released from Fort Leavenworth. 
 
 People hold signs calling for Chelsea Manning's release during a gay pride parade in San Francisco on June 28, 2015. Elijah Nouvelage / Reuters, file 
 
 “For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea," she said. "I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world. Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine." 
 
 Manning's ACLU attorney and transgender advocate, Chase Strangio, told NBC News that the current focus is on "building her life" once she steps out of prison. 
 
 "She is looking forward to eating pizza, swimming, playing PlayStation and meeting the many friends who have supported her over the years but who were never allowed to visit in person," Strangio said. "Beyond that, she is waiting to experience life outside of prison before declaring any future plans. After so many years of government control over her body and gender, I know she is eager to grow her hair, express her gender and negotiate decisions on her own terms." 
 
 Manning attempted suicide twice last year — once in July, another in November — while imprisoned in Kansas. She also began a hunger strike last September over what she says was the lack of treatment she was receiving for her gender dysphoria. 
 
 The Department of Defense has repeatedly declined to discuss Manning's treatment in prison. 
 
 Two fundraising projects are underway, with supporters raising money to fund Manning’s transition from prison back to civilian life. On GoFundMe.com, over $150,000 had been raised by Wednesday to pay for “rent, utilities, health care, clothing, and other living expenses for the first year.” 
 
 Also on Wednesday, a group of musicians released a benefit album called Hugs For Chelsea. The compilation was created by transgender songwriter Evan Greer, and features high-profile artists from rock, indie, hip-hop, and punk genres. Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Talib Kweli, Against Me!, Mirah, Amanda Palmer, and others contributed songs to the $25 release, with REM’s Michael Stipe posting a short video on Twitter to encourage people to purchase it online. 
 
 However, not everyone thinks Manning deserved to be freed. 
 
 President Donald Trump, days before being inaugurated, wrote on Twitter that Manning is "TRAITOR ... who should never have been released from prison." 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan said at the time that Obama's decision was "outrageous." 
 
 He added: "Chelsea Manning's treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation's most sensitive secrets."
– Now that she's a free woman, Chelsea Manning is letting the world know. "First steps of freedom!!" she tweeted Wednesday upon her release from military prison, along with a photo of her feet. Manning also issued a statement picked up by NBC News, which read in part: "Whatever is ahead of me is far more important than the past. I'm figuring things out right now—which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me." Meanwhile, Pulse Films announced at the Cannes Film Festival that it was making a documentary about the 29-year-old transgender soldier called XY Chelsea, reports the AP. Manning is expected to live in Maryland.