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Sen. Coons calls appointment of Delaware’s acting U.S. attorney ‘probably illegal’

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Sen. Coons calls appointment of Delaware’s acting U.S. attorney ‘probably illegal’


What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Is Delaware’s “acting” U.S. attorney, a loyalist of President Donald Trump who chaired the state Republican Party immediately before her appointment, serving in the post illegally?

That’s a question now being asked about Julianne Murray as federal courts around the country have ruled that five other U.S. attorneys were unlawfully put in their posts on an “interim” or “acting” basis by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi installed Murray as Delaware’s “interim” U.S. attorney in July. The 120-day limit for interim appointments ended this month, when Bondi changed Murray’s status as Delaware’s chief federal law enforcement officer to “acting.”

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But U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that vets candidates for U.S. attorney posts, told WHYY News he thinks the steps Bondi took to keep Murray in the post are “probably illegal.”

The nation’s 93 U.S. attorneys are critical law enforcement administrators who guide prosecutions in their jurisdictions for a wide range of federal cases, including gang violence, narcotics trafficking, firearms crimes, kidnapping, bank fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

Under the U.S. Constitution, federal law and longstanding practice, U.S. attorneys are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Bondi, however, has chosen a nontraditional route with some appointments, only to have her end-around maneuvers declared unlawful in New Jersey, Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico and California.

The latest reversal came Monday. In a dramatic decision, a judge ruled that former Trump personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan — an insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience before Bondi made her interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September — was illegally installed. Bondi immediately pledged to appeal.

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Perhaps more importantly, the judge’s order that Halligan’s appointment was unlawful also dismissed two high-profile cases — the criminal indictments against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump had publicly called for their prosecutions and Halligan, within days of taking the job, obtained grand jury indictments against them.

Meanwhile, the status of Alina Habba, another of Trump’s former personal attorneys who Bondi put in the New Jersey post this year, only to have her actions declared unlawful in August, is also in limbo. The case is now before the 3rd U.S. Circuit of Appeals, whose decisions govern New Jersey and Delaware.

From left, the appointments of Alina Habba of New Jersey and Lindsey Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia have been ruled illegal. (Associated Press/The White House)

While no formal legal challenge has been brought against Murray’s appointment, the details surrounding her installation have similarities to the others that have been contested and ruled invalid.

Murray and the others have not been nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.

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And like Habba in New Jersey, the judges in the U.S. District Court for Delaware decided not to reappoint Murray to the post after her initial 120-day “interim” status ended Nov. 11.

Federal law says that after 120 days, a district’s judges may put someone in the post until the vacancy is formally filled.

In New Jersey, the judges named Habba’s top assistant to the post, but Bondi promptly fired her. Then, Bondi took several legal steps to make Habba the “acting” U.S. Attorney, using another federal law that lets someone fill a post for 210 days.

Even though a judge ruled Habba’s appointment unlawful in August, she remains in the post while the Trump administration appeals.



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Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Dec. 16, 2025

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Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Dec. 16, 2025


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The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07

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Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Day: 7-1-2

Night: 0-1-8

Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Day: 5-5-8-3

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Night: 4-2-6-8

Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

10-21-22-24-26-33

Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

03-04-19-24-39, Lucky Ball: 11

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 5 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Day: 6-6-3-8-7

Night: 8-7-0-5-4

Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

  • Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
  • Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
  • Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
  • Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
  • For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.

Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?

Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.

How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?

Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.

When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
  • Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
  • Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.



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Trump will go to Delaware for the dignified transfer of the 2 National Guard members killed in Syria

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Trump will go to Delaware for the dignified transfer of the 2 National Guard members killed in Syria


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for a dignified transfer for the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert that is testing the rapprochement between Washington and Damascus.

The two guardsmen killed in the attack on Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the U.S. Army. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. A U.S. civilian working as an interpreter was also killed.

The ritual at Dover Air Force Base honors U.S. service members killed in action and is one of the most solemn duties undertaken by the commander in chief.

During the process, transfer cases draped with the American flag holding the remains of fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that carried them to Dover to an awaiting vehicle to transport them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the fallen service members are prepared for their final resting place.

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Trump, a Republican, said during his first term that witnessing the dignified transfer of service members’ remains is “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.

Remembered as ‘the best of Iowa’

The Iowa National Guard is remembering the two men as heroes. Howard’s stepfather, Jeffrey Bunn, said Howard “loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out,” noting that he had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy.

In a post on the Meskwaki Nation Police Department’s Facebook page, Bunn – who is chief of the Tama, Iowa, department – called Howard a loving husband and an “amazing man of faith” and said Howard’s brother, a staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, would escort “Nate” back to Iowa.

Torres-Tovar was remembered as a “very positive” person who was family oriented and someone who always put others first, according to fellow guardsmen who were deployed with Torres-Tovar and issued a statement to the local TV broadcast station WOI.

“They were dedicated professionals and cherished members of our Guard family who represented the best of Iowa,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard.

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Trump stands by Syrian leader al-Sharaa

On Saturday, Trump told reporters that he was mourning the deaths and vowed retaliation.

Trump said Monday that he remained confident in the leadership of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the onetime leader of an Islamic insurgent group who led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, whose family had an iron grip on Syrian rule for decades.

The U.S. president welcomed al-Sharaa to Washington last month for a historic visit to the White House and formally welcomed Syria as a member of the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group. Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS.

“This had nothing to do with him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “This had to do with ISIS.”

Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the attack. As of Monday, two were in stable condition and the other in good condition. The Pentagon has not identified them.

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Trump traveled to Dover several times during his first term to honor the fallen, including for a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a person dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire.



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Delaware will save more than $300M after federal tax decoupling takes effect

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Delaware will save more than 0M after federal tax decoupling takes effect


The fiscal year 2027 forecast remained relatively flat from the October meeting. But some expenses declined, including salaries for teachers. Brian Maxwell, state director of Management and Budget, said teacher salary expenses were down because student enrollment has dropped. He said federal immigration policy could be impacting the state’s Multilingual Learners.

“Obviously, there have been a number of students that may not be showing up to class just because of the enforcement of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” he said. “So some of the families may be scared to actually send their kids to school.”

Maxwell said overall enrollment is down, but the number of students needing special education services is up. The next student count is in February.

DEFAC members also discussed the revised Healthcare Spending benchmark. In September, the subcommittee devised a methodology that only used healthcare inflation, resulting in a 7.13% for 2026.

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“We all gathered in October and there was a fair amount of concern with that outcome,” said Christen Linke Young, director of Health and Social Services. “So the subcommittee reconvened earlier this month to consider a new approach.”

After adopting the methodology using expected national inflation data and a three-year measure of health care cost growth, the benchmark now sits at 4.9%. But Young said there would be no penalty for hospitals exceeding the guideline.

Gov. Meyer and the state’s largest nongovernmental employer, ChristianaCare Health System, reached an agreement earlier this year in a lawsuit the regional hospital system filed last year. The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board was created by lawmakers in June 2024 to try to rein in hospital spending. But the agreement, which requires new legislation and the governor’s signature, would strip the board of its authority to approve and modify hospital budgets.



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