Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere. 

Front pages

The Herald:

In The Herald, Tom Gordon and Michael Settle report FM Nicola Sturgeon’s reaction to Theresa May’s Brexit speech. 

"Indyref2: It's our only hope" declares The National. 

“May’s bold terms for Brexit” is the headline in the Telegraph, which says in its leader that the PM’s plan “represents a masterclass in common sense and is exactly what Britain voted for last June".

“May to EU: give us fair deal or you’ll be crushed” is the Times’ take, while the Scottish Daily Mail declares a “Showdown over Brexit” between the Scottish and Westminster governments. 

The FT notes the pound rose 2.9% following the speech. 

The Record mocks up Mrs May as a crash test dummy with the caption: “It’s a head-on Brexit”.  

The Herald: In the Evening Times, Caroline Wilson reports on MSP Sandra White’s concern that Glasgow has too many student flats. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley sees the flag being raised for indyref2 after Theresa May’s Brexit speech. 

FFS: Five in five seconds

What’s the story?

In one of his final acts in office, President Obama has commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former US Army private who leaked three quarters of a million items to WikiLeaks. Among the material was video of 12 civilians being killed by a US Army helicopter in Baghdad. Read Martin Williams' story here. 

What was the original sentence?

Ms Manning, who has transitioned from male to female since being jailed in 2013, was sentenced to 35 years, more than any other whistleblower in US history. She will now be released in May from the military prison in Kansas where she has made two suicide attempts in a bid for better medical treatment. 

Reaction?

From her supporters, relief. Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald told the BBC Manning was “heroic” and had inspired people around the world. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder currently holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London fighting extradition to the US, said: "Thank you to everyone who campaigned for Chelsea Manning's clemency. Your courage & determination made the impossible possible." WikiLeaks previously said Mr Assange would “agree to prison” if Manning was granted clemency: 

Fellow whistleblower and Glasgow University rector Edward Snowden has tweeted his response:

And the reaction from opponents?

Paul Ryan, the Republican House Speaker, called Mr Obama’s decision “outrageous” and said it set "a dangerous precedent that those who compromise our national security won’t be held accountable for their crimes.” Senator Tom Cotton told USA Today: “We ought not treat a traitor like a martyr.” President-elect Donald Trump is yet to comment, but in 2010 he called WikiLeaks actions “disgraceful”. 

Could Snowden follow?

The two cases are being seen as fundamentally different in that Snowden left the country rather than face arrest and trial. 

Afore Ye Go

Thanks to Henry Mance of the FT

The Herald:

"The UK Government cannot be allowed to take us out of the EU and the single market, regardless of the impact on our economy, jobs, living standards and our reputation as an open, tolerant country, without Scotland having the ability to choose between that and a different future. With her comments today, the Prime Minister has only succeeded in making that choice more likely.”

FM Nicola Sturgeon after Theresa May ruled out the UK remaining in the European single market. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Ex-Labour Party official and researcher turned journalist, Dan Hodges.

Thanks to BuzzFeed's Jamie Ross.

The Herald:

“They are already queuing up.”

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says countries around the world are keen to strike deals with a post-Brexit UK. In an article in today's Telegraph he also said the UK was not “slamming the door to migrants, or hauling up the drawbridge”.

ITV's Robert Peston skitters to Twitter (copyright Alan Bennett) with his rather colourful take on the May speech. 

The Herald:

“I find it hard to imagine that he ran to a hotel to meet with our girls ‘of low responsibility’. They are without question the best in the world but I doubt Trump took the bait.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin rubbishes claims that Donald Trump met prostitutes during his visit to Moscow in 2013. The unsubstantiated allegations emerged last week after US intelligence services briefed the president-elect that the claims were circulating. Adam Berry/Getty Images

The Herald:

“If [Donald Trump] got eight hours sleep, and did not tweet in the middle of the night, the next four years would be infinitely better for the world. So I highly recommend that his advisers take the phone away.”

Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington, above, at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

The Herald:

"Massively excited about Donald Trump. It's clear he's an Anglophobe. He loves this country. He wants to put us at the front of the queue when it comes to any trade deal.”

Ukip’s leader Paul Nuttall gets his anglophobe and anglophiles muxed ip. BBC Today. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow. Twitter: @alisonmrowat