The ugly truth is that while Americans, especially those in the white establishment, shake their heads and maybe even shed some tears over the 10 Black people gunned down in Buffalo over the weekend in another apparently racially motivated attack, we’re growing accustomed to the virulent white supremacy that may have driven it.

An unseen flag signifies nothing: Ships at sea don’t hoist their flags below deck. The same rule applies, or should, to the red flags codified by New York’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law, whereby people, including teachers and family members, can petition a court to signal law enforcement and firearm sellers that an individual may well pose a serious danger if allowed a gun.

On April 18, a federal court judge ended the federal transportation face mask mandate, deeming it an overstep of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority. Almost immediately, airlines responded by making face masks on flights optional. The White House continues to urge travelers on all modes of transportation (air, rail and public transit) to continue to wear face masks to reduce virus transmission, particularly for those most vulnerable to developing a serious case of COVID-19.

For about 20 minutes on the floor of the House of Representatives late Tuesday afternoon, the usual partisan jockeying was dispensed as a handful of members on both sides of the aisle extolled an only-in-America original: Ben Ferencz, a Jewish immigrant brought here by his family as baby fleeing Eastern European anti-Semitism to grow up in the tenements and streets of New York, taking advantage of an excellent free public education all the way though City College, followed by law school.

Life is the single most precious gift given to us by our Creator. It was no accident that Thomas Jefferson listed it ahead of “liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. It’s so foundational that it precedes all other rights. And for that very reason, every institution of government has a sacred duty to protect it.

President Joe Biden launched a new offensive of message politics this past week, but appeared to be operating without the inner circle confidant he needs now more than ever.

To say it is not to fully absorb it: Our nation of 330 million souls has lost 1 million lives in just over two years to a virus that landed here in January 2020. Nor is the deeply humbling total, which has touched almost every American family, the end. We mark the milestone when there’s a merciful lull in casualties from COVID-19 — only about 400 Americans are now dying daily, thanks to vaccinations, natural immunity and a prevalent mutation that’s less deadly — but no guarantees about the future.

It isn’t hard to empathize with that homeless Wisconsin woman who was undergoing chemotherapy and whose beloved dog, Baby Girl, had reportedly been turned away by an animal shelter when she tried to give her up. In a moment of desperation, the woman tied her dog to a fire hydrant and called the police to come and pick her up. But even those of us whose situations aren’t quite so dire can find ourselves in a tight spot — especially during record price hikes — as we try to provide quality care. Fortunately, a wealth of resources exists to help keep Fido and Fluffy happy and healthy — and at home.

It was a warm spring morning 36 years ago when millions of people swarmed the streets of Manila, demanding the ouster of a kleptocratic president from power. Subsequently, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. fled the Philippines with 24 gold bricks, luxury clothes enough to fill 67 racks and gems hidden in diaper boxes — merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of his ill-gotten wealth.

A third member of the extremist Oath Keepers group pleaded guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy, admitting his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The pleas provide more proof that the right-wing campaign to whitewash Jan. 6, playing down the extent to which the participants sought to stage an insurrection, is not just craven but also dangerous. The attackers did not behave like “tourists”; they were not unarmed; Jan. 6 was not a normal protest that got out of hand; the attack was not staged by far-left agitators posing as Trump supporters. Instead, it was a coordinated and concerted effort on the part of pro-Trump zealots, riled up by then-President Donald Trump himself, to reverse a presidential election by intimidation and force.

The 428,000 net new jobs last month in the Labor Department’s Friday report is mildly encouraging since every major industry added workers. But the report also contains a warning that inflationary pressure may be starting to hurt the labor market.

With the Supreme Court moving to overturn Roe v. Wade, the availability of self-administered abortion pills is about to take center stage in the debate. Congressional Democrats need to get in front of the issue and settle numerous questions raised by so-called morning after pills. If Roe does indeed fall, red states must not be allowed to take that as carte blanche to violate the First Amendment, interfere with interstate commerce or otherwise abuse standing legal structures in their zeal to deny women control over their own bodies.