Minnesota mourns the Hortmans' lasting legacy

"We are buried in sorrow right now, but I do believe that we will experience joy again and Mark and Melissa would not want it any other way. Goodbye, my friends."

Family, friends and high-profile political guests, including former President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris, packed the Basilica on Saturday to honor the slain former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.

• The private funeral followed a somber day at the State Capitol on Friday, as thousands of mourners — including the former president — paid their respects to the couple as they lay in state.

Gov. Tim Walz, who considered Hortman a political ally and friend, urged people to honor the "remarkable" Minnesotans by "building a state equal to their aspirations and a politics worthy of their example."

• "I know that, in times of seemingly inexplicable tragedy, people often search for some kind of meaning, some kind of lesson we can learn as we process our loss," an emotional Walz said during his eulogy.

"And maybe this is a moment when each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for the things we care about," he said.