Fill not available for selections in Photoshop CC 20.0.1

I've used Adobe products for the last 20+ years, and did jumping jacks when, back in the day, integration from one program into adobe programs did not mean
saving the file,
Opening the adobe program
ctrl+O to find the file
alter it in adobe, then bring it back to whatever program it originated from, it saved HOURS for some projects, DAYS on others.

But, the new photoshop CC 20.0.1 seems to have inadvertently done away with that.
In my case.
File is being viewed in Photomechanic, for culling, I choose to edit in Photoshop, this has happened with a camera RAW and jpeg

File opens fine in Photoshop cc 20.0.1
as a matter of habit, I copy the layer
ctrl+j

I choose the lasso tool to make a selection to edit, I want to use the new improved "content aware" fill
I select my layer, not the image, but the layer
and I go to my edit tab

....nothing, the entire tab is greyed out.

Maybe there is a right click context menu..
hey! there is......still greyed out.

maybe it's because I cloned it
Lather, Rinse, repeat
but not the clone step

same result.

Go to forum, here things about other layers, and how to try it a certain way from lightroom.

I use lightroom, but not in this situation

So....
the New content aware has a program bug that is preventing the program from reading, and working with, the files opened in it.
The forum seems jazzed to help, but no word from adobe