windows 11 (build 22000) left clicking on file explorer crashes and restarts the taskbar

Greetings! I hope someone knowledgeable can help me with this weird issue. Ever since I upgraded to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 10 Pro, there is this reproducible issue where clicking (left-clicking) on File Explorer icon immediately crashes and restarts the taskbar and task tray. However, I can still right-click on it and choose some other previously-opened folder to have the File Explorer open that folder without crashing.

Is this some normal behavior? I looked at some previous posts on this issue (for previous builds). My focus assist was off. Am I doing something wrong? Please shed some light. Thanks in advance!