The federal government has restricted Minnesota investigators' access to case materials and evidence in the fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

Why it matters: The unusual move raised the specter that a Trump administration-led investigation into Renee Nicole Good's killing will be a "whitewash," Gov. Tim Walz said yesterday.

• Federal officials will now have unilateral purview to investigate a suspect whom the president and many top administration officials have praised.

State of play: The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension "reluctantly" withdrew from the investigation, superintendent Drew Evans said.

• Initially, the FBI and BCA's force investigations unit planned a joint investigation.
• The U.S. Attorney's Office later reversed course and determined the investigation "would now be led solely by the FBI," cutting off BCA access to case materials, interviews and scene evidence, Evans said.

What they're saying: "This decision ultimately guarantees there cannot be a fair and complete investigation of this shooting," former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, a Republican appointee, told WCCO Radio.

• "It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome," Walz told reporters, pointing to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's sweeping condemnations of Good as a "domestic terrorist."

The other side: Noem said local authorities "have not been cut out" of the investigation and claimed they did not have jurisdiction.

• A Justice Department official told Axios that state-level investigators "have no intent to pursue a good-faith investigation."

Between the lines: Federal law enforcement officers have "federal immunity" when carrying out their official duties.

• But states "can and do prosecute federal officials" when they break state law and their actions aren't authorized by federal law, said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney at the University of Wisconsin Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative.

Zoom out: The investigation dispute comes amid pushback over Noem's claim that the ICE officer "did exactly what he was taught to do."

• The department's own use-of-force rules suggest that's an undecided question, and former DHS officials told Axios that Noem is way out ahead of any investigation, Axios' Brittany Gibson reports.

Zoom in: While Noem did not name the shooter, the Minnesota Star Tribune, the New York Times and The Associated Press identified the agent as Jonathan Ross.

• Noem said at a news conference that the agent feared for his life, noting that he had been dragged by a car in June when trying to stop a vehicle in a separate incident.

What we're watching: "State authorities can investigate anyway. We don't need their authority," Attorney General Keith Ellison said on CNN.

• Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty's office is "exploring all options to ensure a state level investigation can continue."

What's next: Evans said the BCA expects the FBI to "conduct a thorough and complete investigation" and share its full findings with state and federal prosecutors.

Tension over the ICE surge spread beyond the city's immigrant enclaves after Wednesday's shooting.

• Minneapolis Public Schools are closed for a second day today, following reports of a confrontation between ICE agents and students outside of Roosevelt High.
• Some child care centers are struggling with staffing, and at others, parents are standing vigil.
• Walz, meanwhile, ordered the National Guard to prepare for potential deployment "out of an abundance of caution.

What they're saying: "Whether you're picking up groceries, picking up your kid, going to the doctor right now, every place feels like a place that is not safe," Minneapolis resident Edwin Torres DeSantiago told The Guardian.

Zoom in: Activists barricaded Portland Avenue at the scene of Good's killing yesterday, with one group is calling the area an "autonomous zone," evocative of George Floyd Square in the months following his murder.

• The City of Minneapolis said this morning that it's clearing the barriers due to public safety concerns, but will "not remove the memorial."

What's next: Walz proclaimed today a Day of ​Unity, asking Minnesotans to participate in a 10am moment of silence and perform acts of service to honor Good.

👀 Quality Learning Center, the Minneapolis child care facility that featured prominently in a viral YouTube video investigating fraud claims, suddenly closed this week. (Star Tribune)

🏢 The nonprofit Downtown Development Corporation has acquired the bank note of another St. Paul tower owned by troubled real estate firm Madison Equities — the U.S. Bank Center. (Pioneer Press)

🧆 Sameh Wadi is bringing back the beloved Saffron restaurant in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. (Mpls.St.Paul Magazine)

⚖️ Minnesota and four other states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration's freeze of child care and social services funding. (Axios)

📆 Comedian John Mulaney has postponed this weekend's shows at The Armoy. (X)

The Minnesota Legislature's to-do list for tackling fraud could include AI tools, more inspectors and structural changes to social services programs, two top leaders told Axios.

Why it matters: Mounting concern — and political pressure — over fraud in state-managed programs is set to dominate the Capitol and the campaign trail this year.

• Just yesterday, the Walz administration announced that it will seek to freeze new provider enrollments in 13 high-risk Medicaid programs for six months.

🔎 What they're saying: "I think there should be more site visits," Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said Thursday at an Axios Live event on public health when asked whether Minnesota needs more inspectors to conduct spot checks of providers who bill the state for social services.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who has also called for more unannounced site visits, voiced support for using AI and other analytical tools to keep health care costs down and make sure that state and federal taxpayer dollars aren't going to fraud.

The intrigue: Murphy acknowledged that lawmakers also need to "take care of" what she called "design issues" with Medicaid-funded programs.

• But she noted that adding more staff and technology will take more investment — even as they face political pressure to cut spending.

Friction point

🗓️ Upcoming events in the city.

Minneapolis Polar Plunge at Lake Nokomis March 6th: Join thousands of brave Plungers for a day of frozen fun. The Plunge has fun for the whole family. Food trucks, live music, smore's stations, a 5k and, of course, the Polar Plunge.

Ten years ago tomorrow, Blair Walsh lined up to kick what would have been a game-winning, chip-shot field goal from 27 yards that would send the Vikings into the second round of the playoffs.

Spoiler alert: He missed, somehow. As radio broadcaster Paul Allen bellowed, "Are you kidding me?! The season can't end like this!"

Flashback: The game time temperature was -6 degrees at TCF Bank Stadium, the team's temporary home during construction of U.S. Bank Stadium.

• That temperature ranks as the third coldest for a game in NFL history. The late Bud Grant didn't mind.