Midwest
Biden frees radical left-wing killer convicted in FBI agents' murders during last hours as president
Shortly before leaving office Monday, former President Biden commuted the life sentence of Leonard Peltier, a far-left activist convicted in the 1975 murders of two FBI special agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down in a shootout in South Dakota.
Peltier’s most recent bid for parole failed in July. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both denied clemency requests for him, but he had supporters among other prominent Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The move outraged the FBI Agents Association and came days after outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a letter to Biden urging him not to free the killer.
“The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is outraged by President Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a convicted cop killer responsible for the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams,” FBIAA President Natalie Bara told Fox News Digital. “This last-second, disgraceful act by then-President Biden, which does not change Peltier’s guilt but does release him from prison, is cowardly and lacks accountability. It is a cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen Agents and is a slap in the face of law enforcement.”
DOJ PANEL DENIES PAROLE FOR FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONVICTED IN SLAYINGS OF 2 FBI AGENTS
Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader, is led to a waiting helicopter. After a prolonged legal battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to face charges of murdering two FBI agents. (Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)
On Jan. 10, Wray implored Biden not to do it.
“I hope these letters are unnecessary, and that you are not considering a pardon or commutation,” Wray wrote. “But on behalf of the FBI family, and out of an abundance of caution, I want to make sure our position is clear: Peltier is a remorseless killer, who brutally murdered two of our own – Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law.”
Peltier, now 80 and in poor health, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the slayings, plus another seven years for an armed escape attempt. He repeatedly failed to appeal his case. His supporters feared he would die in prison and looked to President Biden to set him free.
“For nearly 50 years, no fewer than 22 federal judges, multiple parole boards, and six presidential administrations have evaluated the evidence and considered Peltier’s arguments,” Wray wrote. “Each has reached the same conclusion: Peltier’s claims are meritless and his convictions and sentence must stand.”
Biden overruled him.
PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE
FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams, left, and Jack Coler in their official FBI portraits. Both men were executed at point-blank range on June 26, 1975, after being injured in a shootout. Leonard Peltier was convicted of killing them. (FBI)
It’s the latest in a string of pardons, commutations and sweetheart plea deals Biden has given to convicted murderers on his way out of office. He took 37 out of 40 federal inmates off of death row, and his attorney general, Merrick Garland, took the death penalty off the table for a brutal MS-13 leader responsible for seven murders. Two victims, teen high school girls, were massacred with machetes and baseball bats.
He also gave last-minute preemptive pardons to his family members and allies, including his siblings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and members of the January 6 Committee. He had previously pardoned his son, Hunter.
Read FBI Director Wray’s letter to Biden on Leonard Peltier:
Haaland praised Peltier’s commutation.
“I am beyond words about the commutation of Leonard Peltier,” she wrote on X. “His release from prison signifies a measure of justice that has long evaded so many Native Americans for so many decades.”
TEEN MS-13 VICTIM’S FATHER SLAMS LAST-MINUTE BIDEN DOJ PLEA DEAL
On June 26, 1975, Williams and Coler were looking for a group of armed robbery suspects in the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier wasn’t one of them, he was traveling in a vehicle that caught the agents’ attention.
The agents weren’t aware that Peltier was also the subject of an arrest warrant for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer in Wisconsin.
Former President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
According to court documents, Williams warned Coler over the radio that someone in the vehicle was about to start shooting at them. Gunfire erupted. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, both agents were executed with point-blank gunshots to the head from Peltier’s AR-15.
Coler, originally from Bakersfield, California, had been an LAPD officer before joining the FBI in 1971. Williams was also a California native, from Glendale. He joined the FBI in 1972.
“The pardon of Leonard Peltier is not an act of justice but an abandonment of it,” said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent who lost two colleagues of her own to line-of-duty violence.
“I myself lost my dearest friend and colleague, FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, and Special Agent Daniel Alfin when they were murdered February 2, 2021, executing a search warrant to stop a child predator,” she told Fox News Digital. “The crushing heartbreak of losing mighty warriors who selflessly protect others is indescribable.”
A 1985 prison portrait of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in 1976 of the murders of FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler. (MPI/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
Four men were arrested in their deaths, but only Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI. The government dropped charges against James Eagle, the robbery suspect Williams and Coler were looking for at the start of the shootout. Two other men, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976.
After his release from federal prison, he is expected to be placed on house arrest.
“Agents Coler and Williams gave their lives in service to this nation, and their families continue to bear the heavy burden of that sacrifice,” Bara said. “The loss of these heroes is felt as deeply today within the FBI family as it was in 1975. Leonard Peltier has never expressed remorse for his actions. Special Agents Coler and Williams were stolen from their families, robbed of the chance to share precious time and milestones with their loved ones. Leonard Peltier should not have been granted a mercy he so cruelly denied to the Coler and Williams families.”
Read the full article from Here
Detroit, MI
Detroit water main break snarls travel on East Jefferson Monday morning
Vehicles travel through water collected near water main break in Detroit.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A water main break in Detroit is causing headaches for drivers and sending water into the streets of one of the city’s east side neighborhoods.
The break involves a 42-inch pipeline at East Jefferson and Burns Drive.
The breakage happened on Sunday, leaving only one lane open for each direction of travel.
Local perspective:
A day after the breakage, water was still gathering on the road of Jefferson Avenue.
Video captured of the scene Monday morning showed vehicles driving through ponds of water. Construction equipment were on site along with traffic cones.
The backstory:
This isn’t the only major disruption to water services in the region.
This weekend, a catastrophic breakage at 14 Mile near Drake impacted several Oakland County communities and thousands of residents.
Novi and Walled Lake were among those hardest hit by the breakage, which included dramatic scenes of waves of water washing down the road, submerging vehicles.
The Source: FOX 2’s Charlie Langton and previous reporting were cited for this story.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Public Schools budget proposals; board meeting Monday
MILWAUKEE – MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius proposed cutting more than 263 non-classroom positions to help bridge a $46 million structural budget deficit.
A special meeting of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is scheduled to take place on Monday night, March 9, to vote on this proposal.
Shifting resources
What we know:
The district said the reductions, which would take effect for the 2026–27 school year pending school board approval, would save about $30 million.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
“It is an extremely difficult day for us here in Milwaukee Public Schools, but in the end, I’m still hopeful. I’m hopeful for our students, I’m hopeful for all of the employees we have, and every single employee matters to us,” said Cassellius. “This is hard, and we’ll get through it.”
Officials said no classroom teacher positions are being cut to close the budget gap. That said, the district may need fewer teachers where there is lower enrollment. About 40 of the 263 positions being eliminated are already vacant, meaning that not all reductions will result in layoffs. Affected employees eligible for classroom-based roles will be encouraged to apply for available positions.
Cassellius stressed that MPS faces rising costs while receiving a $0 state increase in general aid for 2026-27 public school students. While the recent referendum has helped to support arts, physical education, mental health services, and career exploration, the superintendent indicated it does not make up for the lack of state-funded inflation increase
Proposed reductions
By the numbers:
The approximately 263 position reductions include the following, according to the school district:
- MPS Central Services: About 116 positions from the offices of Academics; Communications; Family, Community, and Partnership; Finance; Human Resources; Operations; Schools office; and the Superintendent’s office
- Non‑classroom school‑based roles: About 147 positions, including assistant principals, deans of students, and implementers.
The Source: Milwaukee Public Schools released information about its proposal.
Minneapolis, MN
MN weather: Bright with highs in the 50s Monday
Expect a pleasant Monday with light breezes, filtered sunshine, and highs in the 50s. Temperatures cool into the 40s this week with chances for rain and snow. FOX 9 meteorologist Cody Matz has the full forecast.
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts6 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Pennsylvania4 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Oregon1 week ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
News1 week ago2 Survivors Describe the Terror and Tragedy of the Tahoe Avalanche
-
Sports4 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death