Hundreds gathered at the state Capitol on Monday asking Gov. Tim Walz to call a special legislative session to ban assault weapons on the heels of a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last week that killed two children and injured 18 children and adults.

“No one should be scared to go to school out of fear of being shot. Our schools should be where our dreams are shaped, not our nightmares,” said Timberlyn Mazeikis, a former Michigan State University student who survived a mass shooting on campus there in 2023 and now is a volunteer leader with the Students Demand Action group at the University of Minnesota.

“Minnesota lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, must act to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Mazeikis said. “That’s why we are at the Capitol today: to ask Gov. Walz to call a special session on public safety and demand our politicians prioritize our safety over the gun lobby’s interests.”

Walz announced last week that he was planning to call state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session to do just that in response to Wednesday’s shooting in Minneapolis.

Walz and fellow Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, have advocated for policies including a ban on semiautomatic rifles and a magazine capacity limit.

Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are most frequently used in mass shootings and have greater destructive impact than standard handguns, said Minnesota Youth, the group that hosted Monday’s rally. “These weapons were designed for the battlefield, not our schools, churches or city streets.”

Investigators say the high-powered rifle used in the Minneapolis shootings was a semiautomatic. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Thursday that the 5.56 mm rifle fired 116 rounds in less than four minutes.

Republicans generally oppose new gun control legislation, so passage of any bill will require bipartisan support.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, told the Pioneer Press last week that Walz’ call for a special session  was a “partisan stunt.”

“Republicans are committed to addressing the root causes of violence, supporting safe schools and increasing access to mental health resources,” Johnson said. “Calling for a special session without even consulting legislative leaders is not a serious way to begin.”

A coalition of gun prevention groups showed up at the Monday rally including the state chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, Protect Minnesota, Brady Northland, Brady United’s state chapter and the state chapter of the Giffords gun owner caucus, organizers said.

“At least nine out of the 10 mass shooting incidents with the most casualties since 2015 involved at least one firearm equipped with a high-capacity magazine and the use of at least one assault weapon,” said a spokesperson for Minnesota Youth.  “When the U.S. had a federal assault weapons ban on the books, it worked. State-level assault weapon bans are associated with a lower likelihood of an active shooter event. Not only are laws prohibiting assault weapons constitutional, these policies are effective — and they save lives.”

The Minnesota State Fair Grandstand opened the season with a sold out Old Dominion show and wrapped up on Monday with Taylor Swift.

Well, not the actual Taylor Swift, but her music did ring through the stands during late morning and mid-afternoon sets from Bri and the Anti-heroes. The band of six friends came together in the spring of 2023 to pay tribute to Taylor Swift. Led by vocalist and North Dakota native Brianna Helbling, the group says they have sold out every show they’ve played, including First Avenue.

Alas, the Anti-heroes’ streak is now broken, as the crowds for the two shows numbered in the hundreds, not thousands. But it was still a blast to hear songs like “”We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “… Ready for It?” performed beneath sunny skies and some of the most gorgeous weather of this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The New York-based Rock and Roll Playhouse presented the shows. The company promises families “an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and encourage them to explore their creativity” and that they aim to fill “the void for shared musical experiences between parents and children.”

And, well, that’s exactly what happened during the afternoon show on Monday. Bri and the Anti-heroes took the stage promptly at 3 p.m. with “Cruel Summer,” the 2019 song that became a hit four years later thanks to its placement in Swift’s wildly successful Eras Tour.

In a nod to that two-year outing, the Anti-heroes performed the 75-minute show in mini blocks devoted to specific Swift albums, from 2008’s “Fearless” to last year’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” Helbling, who sparkled with her strong voice and cheery disposition, even (quickly) changed outfits for each record represented, with help from her mother, who was stationed backstage.

Families started to trickle into the open space in front of the stage, with more filling in with each song. Early on, the band urged everyone to move closer to the stage and they did. By the time the Anti-heroes moved into the “1989” era, the floor was hopping, with the kids — almost entirely ages 10 and under — singing and dancing with the sort of pure, utterly carefree glee rarely found outside the pre-pubescent set.

The Anti-heroes added rapped verses to “Bad Blood,” a saxophone to “Shake it Off” and led several games with the crowd, including a lively limbo contest. And, again, the kids loved it. So did a lot of the dads. It was a terrific way to bid farewell to the State Fair and Grandstand for the year.

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Rudy Giuliani was released from the hospital Monday afternoon after a car crash Saturday night in New Hampshire, according to Arthur Aidala, a friend of Giuliani.

Aidala said Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and lawyer for President Donald Trump, was in high spirits when they spoke by phone. “I have some healing to do, but I’m otherwise in great shape,” Giuliani said, according to Aidala.

Giuliani, 81, intended to recuperate in Manchester but did not specify where, Aidala said.

Giuliani suffered a fractured vertebra when he was rear-ended while traveling as a passenger on Interstate 93 near Manchester.

“A little car accident won’t be slowing him down,” said Michael Ragusa, the security chief for Giuliani, who led New York through the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

On social media, Ragusa tried to dispel speculation that the crash was an intentional attempt to harm Giuliani, who was disbarred and has drawn criticism for trying to overturn results of the 2020 election for Trump.

“This was not a targeted attack,” Ragusa wrote on X. “We ask everyone to respect Giuliani’s privacy and recovery, and refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories.”

Reports of how the accident unfolded were a little unclear.

It occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire State Police said. Theodore Goodman, Giuliani’s aide, was driving a Ford Bronco northbound on I-93 when a Honda HR-V rear-ended their vehicle. The police identified the Honda’s driver as Lauren Kemp, 19, of Concord.

All three had non-life-threatening injuries, the police said.

Before the crash, Giuliani’s car had stopped on the side of the highway to help a woman who had flagged them down during a reported domestic dispute on the southbound side of Interstate 93, Ragusa said.

It is unclear precisely where the woman was standing or how she drew their attention.

Giuliani and Goodman waited for the police to arrive, then pulled back onto the northbound side of the highway and were hit from behind by Kemp, Ragusa said.

In text messages with a Times reporter Sunday, Kemp seemed unaware that Giuliani was in the car she had hit. Kemp said she was not seriously hurt, “just sore and two stitches under my eyebrow.”

She did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment Monday.

The collision sent both cars into the median, and the state troopers and fire personnel who had been attending to the domestic incident on the south side of the highway crossed over to help, police said. No charges have been filed, and the crash is under investigation. State police declined to provide any additional comment Monday.

The location of the hospital where Giuliani received treatment was not disclosed.

On Monday afternoon, Trump announced on social media that he intended to award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a post on Truth Social, the president described Giuliani as “the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City” and “an equally great American Patriot.” He did not mention the car crash.

Trump hasn’t always been as supportive of Giuliani in times of trouble. Despite encouraging Giuliani to challenge the 2020 election results, Trump refused to pay for his legal work, arguing that Giuliani had lost the cases. Trump’s advisers rebuffed efforts by Giuliani’s lawyer to seek compensation, though Trump eventually appeared at a fundraiser to help pay the former mayor’s bills.

Giuliani served as mayor of New York City from 1994 through 2001. A post from his social media account Sunday afternoon thanked his business partner, Maria Ryan, who is a nurse practitioner in New Hampshire, for “overseeing” his care.

Giuliani and Ryan attended a New Hampshire Fisher Cats baseball game in Manchester on Saturday before the crash, according to a video from a local news website.

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Giuliani has faced a series of legal and financial problems in recent years. He filed for bankruptcy in New York in 2023. But after he refused to comply with basic court requirements, the case was dismissed, leaving his assets vulnerable to his many creditors.

He became a national hero after helping the city navigate the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. He ran for president in 2008, but his candidacy never took off.

Then he became a key adviser to Trump and a pariah in many corners of New York. He was disbarred from practicing law in New York last year after being indicted in Arizona and Georgia in cases involving efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He had faced a $148 million judgment granted to two Georgia election workers he defamed while trying to help Trump overturn the election; the case was settled in January.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

As he prepped for the 2014 NFL draft, a young Anthony Barr hopped on a plane for a top 30 visit with the Vikings.

A native of Southern California through and through, Barr hadn’t experienced a ton of cold weather. So he didn’t pack the proper attire for the occasion.

“I got off the plane and it’s snowing,” Barr said. “I was like, ‘Oh damn. This is place is different. Hopefully we don’t come here, because I’m not trying to deal with the snow.’”

Naturally, the Vikings selected Barr, a linebacker out of UCLA, in the first round a few weeks later.

“It ended up working out,” Barr said with a smile. “Now I actually love the snow.”

The memories came flooding back for Barr on Monday afternoon at TCO Performance Center as he celebrated his retirement from the NFL.

He proudly reflected on the past decade as he stood at a podium with his fiancée Chelsea and his mother Lori seated in the audience. He also had former teammates Eric Kendricks, Andrew Sendejo and Audie Cole in attendance.

“It was important to me to retire a Viking,” Barr said. “It’s a franchise that changed my life, coming here in May 2014 as, really, a young boy trying to find his way playing a game he has loved his whole life.”

In his time with the Vikings, Barr recorded 496 tackles, 17 1/2 sacks and 44 quarterback hits across 102 games, all while serving as a conduit for former head coach Mike Zimmer regardless of circumstance

“He entrusted me with communicating to the guys,” Barr said. “We had a good line of communication, and that made our relationship really strong.”

Asked about the most memorable moment of his career, Barr immediately pointed to January 2016, reminiscing about how the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers on the road to clinch the NFC North.

As important as Barr was for the Vikings on the field,  he might have ben even more impactful off the field. He found a home in Minnesota and remains an active member of the community despite the fact that it’s no longer the place he resides.

“I love to inspire the next generation,” Barr said. “It’s something I don’t take lightly.”

Need more proof about how much this place means to him? Just listen to Barr recount his brief reunion from a few years ago when he picked the Vikings over the Philadelphia Eagles after getting a phone call from his agent at the last minute.

“I was getting fitted for a helmet and he called me and I was like, ‘Oh yeah. Let’s go back to Minnesota,’ ” Barr said. “I was about to sign the papers and I went up there and I was like, ‘I’m actually about to head out.’”

As crazy as that story might sound in hindsight, Barr knew at his core that it was the right decision for him.

“It made sense at the time, and it still does,” Barr said. “I’m a Viking, and I feel that in my heart.”

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