A NORM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED: 3/4 of States Are Now Stand Your Ground; only 12 Are Duty to Retreat.

OUT ON A LIMB: Prince Philip’s death marks ‘the beginning of the end’ of the Queen’s reign.

Royal expert Anna Whitelock said the widowed monarch, who turns 95 today, is moving into the “twilight” of her reign. Ms Whitelock added that the Duke of Edinburgh’s death has begun a “transition to the future”.

What would we do without royal experts?

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: What Is a Supernova Volcano and How Can We Prevent an Eruption? When it comes to existential threats to humanity, a supervolcano eruption is twice as likely as a giant asteroid strike. But there’s a fix, as explained in one of the engaging science and public-policy videos at the new Kite and Key Media website. Other videos debunk the “overpopulation” crisis and the myth that electric cars can make a difference in combating climate change.

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF FUTURE RESULTS: Trevor Noah Is Wrong about the Police.

“We’re told time and time again that these incidents that Black Americans are experiencing are because of ‘bad apples,’ right?” said Daily Show host Trevor Noah, using a phrase he believes is used to dismiss police misconduct. “My question, though, is where are the good apples?” he asks.

Apparently, they serve on the South African police force:

As Glenn Greenwald tweeted last week, “Trevor Noah speaking on the 2012 Marikana massacre — where South African police shot and killed 34 striking miners — is really quite something given the new persona about policing and crime he presents these days.”

“JOURNALISTS” NOW SEE THEMSELVES AS ENFORCERS FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY APPARAT: Tucker Carlson says Washington Post contacting his ‘old college classmates’ looking for dirt.

Related: Utah News Station Targets Paramedic Because He Donated $10 to Kyle Rittenhouse Defense Fund.

PJ MEDIA VIP ROUNDUP: The Democrats’ Relationship to America Has Become Toxic and Abusive.

And: Thank God DeSantis Is Fighting: Why the COVID Ban on Cruises Is Personal For My Family.

Finally: The Clinical Horrors of China’s Slow-Motion Genocide Against the Uighur People.

BECAUSE CITIES BURNING SURE ARE GOOD FOR TV RATINGS: Some media outlets — and senators — sure were eager to make the Ma’Khia Bryant shooting a story about race.

Related: Blue Cities Will Continue to Burn Until Media, Democrats Condemn Riots.

STEPHEN GUTOWSKI: Leaked ATF Document Details Biden Plan to Ban ‘Ghost Guns.’

I GUESS THAT MAKES IT FAIR: L.A. Homeless Injunction: Something For Everyone To Hate.

DISPATCHES FROM THE “IT’S DIFFERENT WHEN WE DO IT” PARTY: Ayanna Pressley Wants To Cancel the Rent. She’s Also Made at Least $15,000 As a Landlord.

K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: ‘This is not a rich person issue, this is not a NYC issue, this is an American issue:’ Parent and teacher who spoke out against ‘woke’ antiracist doctrine in their expensive NY private schools warn it is infecting all US schools.

Related: Bari Weiss: You Have to Read This Letter.

YOU CAN’T POLISH A TURD: AOC Introduces a New and Improved Green New Deal.

YESTERDAY NORTH DAKOTA BECAME THE LATEST “STAND YOUR GROUND STATE”: Only 12 states remain “duty to retreat states.” The history of all this is pretty interesting.

NOTHING GOOD. NEXT QUESTION? What will Russia do with forces massed on Ukraine’s borders?

ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE: Utah News Station Targets Paramedic Because He Donated $10 to Kyle Rittenhouse Defense Fund.

21ST CENTURY HEADLINES: How People with Paralysis Can Command Computers Wirelessly With Their Minds.

THE TWO RULES OF MODERN JOURNALISM:

RULE # 1: Because journalists are required to be open-minded, exercise independence of spirit, and display a healthy amount of skepticism, the words and deeds of politicians, leaders, and the powerful — as well as those of regular citizens being interviewed — must constantly be questioned, second-guessed, doubted, fact-checked, challenged, and, more often than not, interrupted (more or less politely).

RULE # 2: Rule # 1 only applies to Republicans.

(And to anybody leaning conservative.)

Just think of the media as Democratic Party operatives with bylines, and it all makes sense.

WASHINGTON STILL HAS MODERATE DEMOCRATS? Moderate Democrats Are Mad at Maxine Waters as They Worry About 2022.

HMM: Simple oral hygiene could help reduce COVID-19 severity, says study.

FAIL, BRITANNIA: UK Still Won’t Accelerate Re-Opening Despite COVID Deaths Dropping Below Road Accident Fatalities. “The average number of daily deaths now stands at 25 a day with COVID cases dropping 94 per cent from the peak. On Monday, the UK recorded just four total deaths.”

YOU’RE GONNA NEED A SMALLER BLOG: The 1619 Project Summarized in One Single Sentence.

CHANGE: NASA clears first reused SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for astronaut launch.

THIS IS A FIGHT WE HAVE TO WIN:  “Biden Administration Offers Grants to Teach Children ‘1619 Project,’ Inherent Racism Central to U.S.“

RUSSIAN AND CHINESE SHOWS OF FORCE CONFRONT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Russia and China are conducting multiple probing operations intended to test President Biden’s administration and, frankly, Slow Joe himself.

Without strong leadership by democratic nations, primarily from the powerful U.S., our weaknesses, especially our self-inflicted weaknesses, could quickly become debilitating wounds the authoritarians will leverage, to our great loss.

Credit French President Emmanuel Macron with recognizing that, at least regarding Russia. He told CBS News the democracies must continue discussions with Russia but “define clear red lines” with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. He added, “sanctions are not sufficient in themselves, but … are part of the package.”

Macron criticized “a failure of our collective credibility” to respond effectively to Russia’s 2014 Ukraine invasion. The “international community” also failed to enforce the Obama-Biden administration’s now-infamous August 2012 “red line” forbidding use of chemical weapons by Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. During the interview, he made this strong statement: “We will never accept new military operations on Ukrainian soil.”

Bravo. But Macron knows that making that stick in the Kremlin craw requires U.S. diplomatic, economic and military power.

It’s my latest Creators Syndicate column.

GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES: The Sports World Reacts To The Derek Chauvin Verdict.

Related: Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis ‘meant no disrespect’ with widely criticized tweet:

“Davis told The Associated Press and The Athletic that he also didn’t know that the phrase ‘I can breathe’ was used by supporters of police in New York after the death of Eric Garner in 2014 and that he wouldn’t have used that phrase if he knew the history. ‘It’s a tough situation,’ Davis told the AP. ‘I feel bad it was taken in a way it wasn’t meant to be done. That can only be my fault for not explaining it.’”

It’s an even more thoughtless tweet considering the vicious history of the Raiders. Two words: Darryl Stingley.