1. It’s Wednesday, January 27, 2016.

2. Today is the 30th anniversary of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. It still makes me sad to think about it.

I imagine this is a tough day for the families of the crew, which included New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe, as well as the people who work at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. I hope you will keep them in your thoughts.

3. I guess we’ll see whether the individuals remaining at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon are as rugged as they’d like you to believe. Their leaders are now in the local jail, with one of them dead, after a road stop turned violent.

Having met with hostility from people in the area around the wildlife refuge, as well as anyone else in the country with a brain, they were supposedly trying to get to a part of the state thought to be more friendly.

The New York Times story on the incident sort of hints at a little psychological ploy on the part of law enforcement, which must have been sick of this nearly month-long travesty.

Whatever happened, let’s hope this stupidity comes to a quick end and these people can move on to go support their buddy Donald Trump or some other Republican pineapple.

4. Speaking of Trump, Fox News is holding its ground on tomorrow’s debate. Megyn Kelly will be a moderator, so Donald Trump won’t show up.

Supposedly, the ratings won’t be as good as they would be with America’s biggest boor. But look at this way: when these debates were scheduled way back when, did anybody think they would be ratings winners?

And, although I can’t imagine how to prove it, I think tomorrow’s debate will do better than originally expected because people will tune in to see what Megyn Kelly and the other Republicans have to say about the missing oaf.

5. Trump, when he wants to appear morally superior to those opposed to him, loves to hide behind military veterans. The reason he says he’s not going to the debate tonight – besides the fact that the icky Megyn Kelly is there –  is that he’s doing a benefit for wounded vets.

I’m sure any event that gives these folks a night of entertainment is worthwhile. But for guys as brave as these, being a prop for someone hiding from a Fox News journalist must be somewhat distasteful.

6. Just when you thought this election couldn’t involve any more despicable characters, look who might show up. Michael Bloomberg is thinking about running for president.

And the person who loves this idea best has to be Donald Trump. That’s why you heard Trump trashing Mike’s raison d’être, the financial data and news company that made him one of the world’s wealthiest people. Trump told Wolf Blitzer that the company is fragile, and could go out of business if someone comes up with a better data terminal.

That had to have Bloomberg see red. His company is everything. He went back to it after 12 years as mayor of New York because he never left it. If he thinks he can sell more terminals by becoming the 45th President of the United States, he’ll try to do it.

And that’s Trump’s opening. Whether it’s Hillary Clinton or, as Bloomberg fears, Bernie Sanders, Mike will take more votes from the Democratic nominee than from Trump, who can win the presidency with about 35% of the vote.

I’m not sure how it happens other than through positive thinking, because his ego is a big honking factor. But Mike Bloomberg running for president would be a disaster.