Good morning. The weekend probably won’t bring much quiet. But take the quiet moments as you get them.

The ICE officer who fatally shot Good has been identified as a 10-year veteran of the agency. National Public Radio confirmed that Jonathan Ross was the officer involved in the shooting . The Department of Homeland Security has not yet confirmed his identity. DHS Secretary said Wednesday that the officer had been dragged during an enforcement action last year. NPR cross referenced and found Ross’ name in court documents in a case of a Mexican national found guilty of assaulting a federal officer in December. DHS confirmed to NPR that that was the case the secretary was referring to. Ross was injured after being dragged by a car in that past case. He was seen walking unencumbered from the scene of this week’s shooting in Minneapolis, although top federal officials say he did receive hospital care for unspecified injuries.

Friction surrounds the investigation of the ICE shooting that left a Minneapolis woman dead. To put a finer point on it: who does the investigation. For now, it’s exclusively the FBI, an element of the Department of Justice. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had been initially announced as a partner in the probe but said yesterday that it was sidelined and denied access to the scene, key evidence and reports on witness and officer interviews that might have been done. Gov. Tim Walz warned that it would erode faith in the eventual conclusion of the investigation and perhaps fan civil unrest. Walz asked the Trump administration to reconsider, an appeal quickly rejected by Vice President JD Vance (more below). Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other local leaders plan to hold a news conference today about it. Former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, an appointee of two past Republican presidents, said it’s both unprecedented and unfortunate. “It's going to be extremely difficult to get a thorough, complete, transparent investigation result when you have frozen out the best resources that we have in the state of Minnesota, and you have frozen out anybody representing the state," he told MPR News.

Vice President JD Vance spoke from the White House yesterday and appeared to say the officer couldn’t be prosecuted by any authority. Vance blistered media for what he said were reports slanted against the officer’s ability to defend himself against a threat and said the ICE agent should be applauded for carrying out enforcement actions not villainized. “The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That's a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job,” Vance said. The vice president said he won’t let “Tim Walz and a bunch of radicals in Minneapolis” pursue a case and “make this guy’s life miserable because he was doing the job he was asked to do.” He called Good’s death a "tragedy of her own making” and said the agent had previously been involved in a similar encounter. Vance said that a past run-in, which happened months ago, resulted in the agent needing 33 stitches after being dragged. “So you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile?” Vance’s comments reinforce the stances of President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that there was justification for the shooting, a posture taken within hours of the shooting and before any investigation. 

Gov. Tim Walz has taken more steps to ready the Minnesota National Guard  to prepare for demonstrations that have been largely peaceful to take a turn. There have been some isolated clashes that have resulted in arrests and dispersion of crowds using chemical irritants. Walz signed an executive order to get the Guard ready to provide assistance to local law enforcement if they're needed. This is not a formal callup just yet. Walz indicated his order would allow for quicker activation should that be necessary and allow National Guard leaders to spend money to get ready. “As part of ongoing planning activities, and in response to potential capacity concerns from local leaders, it is important to ensure optimal readiness in the case of changes to the public safety environment,” the order reads in part. Walz also said there are 85 members of the Minnesota State Patrol's Mobile Response Team who have been designated to support law enforcement efforts in the Twin Cities.

In his White House remarks, Vice President JD Vance also said the administration was creating a new high-ranking position to concentrate on fraud. Vance tied it to states like Minnesota, which has had its share of problems with misuse of money. But the fact that the Department of Justice-connected position would be located in the White House has raised questions about whether it would merely be used as a political arm. The breadth of the fraud director’s purview isn’t known. The New York Times reports that it is “ the latest striking break from norms established after the Watergate scandal of the 1970s that introduced distance between the White House and the decisions made by senior federal prosecutors.” Some Republicans in Congress are publicly pushing for criminal charges against Democratic officials, including Minnesota Gov. Walz, over fraud that occurred during their tenures. Vance made numerous mentions of Walz and accused him of “failed and corrupt leadership, at yesterday’s press conference 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited the Twin Cities yesterday, asserting that the policies implemented by the Trump administration will make for a strong economy in 2026. Bessent spoke to the Economic Club of Minnesota. MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell was there and reports that Bessent slammed the Biden administration for having dampened entrepreneurship. Bessent insisted the current administration is working to reverse that. Bessent argued that tariffs are bringing industrial growth and businesses to the United States. Bessent drew attention to tax cuts for individuals and corporations and said he expects individual refunds will be unusually large. Many economists say tariffs and slow job growth are still reasons for nervousness about the economy. A monthly jobs report is due today.

A new Republican candidate has joined the race for Tina Smith’s U.S. Senate seat.  Mark York says he’s seeking the party’s endorsement for the seat. York’s announcement says he’s a farmer, computer scientist and former White House Fellow. The announcement lists some of his key issues, including housing and childcare affordability, mineral production in the state and cutting fraud and waste. Wilson is from Lake Wilson in southwestern Minnesota. He was named a White House fellow during the Biden administration. He says he has pursued a doctorate in computer science from Harvard University and co-founded a farming non-profit in Ghana. York joins Adam Schwarze, Royce White, Tom Weiler and David Hann who are also running as Republicans.

Another Democrat has joined the campaign to unseat 8th District Republican Rep. Pete Stauber.  Trina Swanson has launched a campaign for the congressional seat. She says she recently retired as director for international operations for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Swanson is from Hermanton. Her campaign is focused on affordability and rural access to healthcare, building up education to career pathways and protecting and respecting jobs in the district, including the Iron Range. She joins four others who have filed paperwork to run as Democrats for the U.S. House seat. Stauber is expected to have a large fundraising advantage heading into the campaign.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services says the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services directed the department to freeze new enrollments for 13 Medicaid programs.  The freeze has not yet started, but DHS says it is planned to last six months. Current providers can continue to serve clients. This move does not stop them from enrolling new clients. Minnesota officials had already announced licensing freezes on home- and community-based services and adult-day programs for two years. The department has brought in a third-party to examine DHS processes. The Walz administration also hired a director of program integrity, who will work in conjunction with an outside firm to establish a statewide fraud prevention program. The Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement and investigations in Minnesota in response to fraud.