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Trump's cashless bail crackdown gets expert backing: 'Power of the purse strings' can force compliance
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While the White House can’t directly control local jurisdictions that refuse to issue cash bail for accused criminals, particularly repeat offenders, experts say the president does have some ways to influence cities where crime has gotten out of control.
President Donald Trump recently announced a new executive order as part of his plan to undo the spread of cashless bail. He directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to, within 30 days, compile a list of all jurisdictions that have implemented the policy. And he instructed other federal agencies to identify what grants and contracts can be suspended as a result.
“As President, I will require commonsense policies that protect Americans’ safety and well-being by incarcerating individuals who are known threats,” Trump wrote in the order. “It is therefore the policy of my Administration that Federal policies and resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, to the maximum extent permitted by law.”
TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ELIMINATE NO-CASH BAIL FOR DC SUSPECTS
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order on cashless bail as Vice President JD Vance, from left, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem look on in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In Washington, D.C., where the president has more direct control, he ordered the Justice Department to file federal charges and seek pretrial detention whenever possible.
“While the president may not have direct ability to control the law enforcement of these individual cities and states, what he does have is the power of the purse strings,” said Randolph Rice, a Baltimore-area attorney and legal analyst. “He can use money and withhold that money to force these jurisdictions and these states to accept the help of the federal government.”
His intervention in Washington is already paying dividends, he said, with carjackings down more than 80% in a 20-day span, as revealed by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“Which is amazing to me why you have a mayor or a governor of another state, where crime is a problem, and they’re unwilling to accept that help,” said Rice, whose previous clients include the family of Rachel Morin, who was killed by a fugitive illegal immigrant two years ago this month.
“It’s like your house is burning down,” Rice continued. “The fire department is calling and saying, ‘Hey, we can send another fire truck to put out the fire.’ And you just say, ‘No. I think we’re good. We won’t take the help.’”
AG PAM BONDI SUGGESTS TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN IN DC WILL HELP LATINO RESIDENTS
Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a press conference after President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department at the Wilson Building on Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Under cashless bail schemes, an arrested suspect walks free before their trial without having to post any overhead fees, known as bail or bond, that are meant to ensure they keep coming back to court.
“So essentially the person goes to court within the first 24 hours, and the judge lets them go and says, you need to come back to court on this date,” Rice said. “And if you don’t, there really are no consequences.”
Such policies have spread through liberal jurisdictions in recent years despite frequent criticism that they are too lenient on repeat offenders, some of whom have gone on to commit more serious crimes.
In Washington in March 2022, a then-31-year-old man named Johnwann Elliott gunned down 37-year-old Nikia Young in broad daylight at a bus stop, according to the Justice Department. At the time of the murder, despite a prior robbery conviction for which he served time in prison, he was freed from custody while awaiting trial on an unrelated car theft charge.
TRUMP DEMANDS END TO CASHLESS BAIL, SAYS ‘COMPLETE DISASTER’ DRIVING CRIME IN CITIES, ENDANGERING POLICE
A police officer is positioned outside the U.S. Capitol in August 2025. (Getty Images)
A California study in 2023 found that violent crime tripled in the state under its “Zero Bail” policy.
“Every single individual and every case should be evaluated by a judge, an independent magistrate, who can look at that person’s criminal history, look at the facts of the current case and make an informed decision about what their risk level is and what’s it going to take to make sure that they don’t go out and harm somebody again,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig told Fox News Digital at the time. “That needs to happen in every case.”
Another version of cashless bail, according to Rice, is called unsecured bond. In those situations, bond is set with a dollar value, but the defendant doesn’t have to post it unless they miss a court date.
“Well, the funny part about that is, is if somebody doesn’t show up to court, they’re probably not going to pay a bond either,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “So it really is a ludicrous idea to have these unsecure bonds, but cashless bond is becoming more popular in a lot of these blue states, a lot of the more liberal states. And I think a lot of these states are starting to see a backfire on them.”
In particular, he said, low-level criminals who are released go back to committing crimes like shoplifting and burglary almost immediately, before their pending cases go to court, lowering the quality of life and keeping crime levels high even in areas where murders are down.
In Baltimore, for example, medical advances have made it more likely for victims to survive shootings.
“What we see is that people that got shot who maybe 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago would have died, they go to Shock Trauma, and they save them,” he said, referring to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma Center. “So while the murder number may drop, the shooting number may be consistent or be going up, which is still a sign of crime in a city.”
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NEWARK (WABC) — New details were released about the close call at Newark Airport last month.
A United Jet flew about 15 feet above the busy New Jersey Turnpike on its approach to the runway.
The plane hit a light pole in the process and that pole hit a delivery truck.
“Low and slow,” those are the words used in a new NTSB report to describe the United flight that came close to catastrophe after hitting a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike while landing at Newark airport.
The report found that the flight with more than 230 passengers and crew on board was flying dangerously low at just 15 feet above one of the busiest highways in the country.
Investigators say the pilots had been given multiple runway changes in the minutes before the incident, as they descended in strong winds and were eventually told to land at Newark’s shortest runway.
The first officer warned the captain, who was manually flying the plane, that the airspeed was slow, eventually saying, “You are still slow and a little low.”
Moments later, the plane hit the light pole, which crashed down onto a delivery truck, injuring the driver.
According to the NTSB, the captain said he “heard a thump” shortly before touchdown.
Passengers deplaned normally, but the plane suffered “substantial damage” with a gash in the side of the fuselage.
“The NTSB is gonna wanna go back and say what is it about this approach, this runway, how can we take out the possibility of error that almost led to tragedy in this case,” an expert said.
The driver’s father spoke out in the days after the accident
“Imagine that, struck by a plane, generally nobody walks away from a plane crash, nobody,” he said.
The first officer says he looked outside seconds before touching down and recalled thinking the plane looked too low above the turnpike, but at that point it was too late to change anything.
The Boeing 767 has not flown since the incident.
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In an era of pricey theme parks and gated admission, one Pennsylvania amusement park is still letting guests in for free.
Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, has been admission-free since it opened nearly a century ago.
Knoebels opened its doors on July 4, 1926 — and will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, as the nation celebrates America’s semiquincentennial.
Many of the earliest amusement parks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries operated without admission fees, especially so-called “trolley parks,” which made money from charging guests for rides, food and drink.
Park owner Brian Knoebel, 52, recently told PA Local he “had to pinky-swear” to never change the free-admission model.
“It’s who we are,” he said. “It’s that traditional park.”
Knoebel said he recognizes that grandparents “get more satisfaction out of watching their grandkids ride the rides than they do themselves.”
“And Grandma and Grandpa are on a limited income,” he said. “So they don’t pay to park. We don’t force you to buy food in the park — if you want to bring a picnic lunch, then bring a picnic lunch.”
Knoebel, who said his ancestors came to America from Germany and worked as lumberers, said the amusement park began as a modest venture.
“After church on Sunday, they’d come down and park their horse and buggy off to the side, and frolic in the stream and have a little picnic,” he told PA Local.
“My great-grandfather would feed and stable your horses for, I believe, a quarter.”
Knoebel added, “Little by little, he started building some picnic tables and park benches, and on July 4, 1926, we opened a swimming pool, a restaurant — appropriately named ‘The Restaurant’ — and we rented a steam-powered carousel.”
Despite the park’s growth, Knoebel said its old-fashioned atmosphere has remained intact, including the canopy of trees, shaded walkways, creekside seating and classic attractions.
“How has it changed? We started with one ride, and one food stand, and the pool,” he said.
“We now have 60 rides, I believe 38 food stands, 24 games, and water slides … Quarter-mile down the road, we own the 18-hole golf course, complete with a bar and tavern.”
Overall, Knoebel said that he and his family “absolutely know our brand.”
“We know our fans,” he said.
“And that throwback amusement park from yesteryear is exactly who we continue to be,” he added.
“We don’t have roller coasters that reach the clouds. We have rides for thrill seekers … but, of course, we have more traditional rides.”
Knoebels is the largest free-admission park in the United States. “Knoebels does not have a gate, and you only pay for what you want once you are at the park,” the venue says on its website.
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