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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Capitol Hill

Homeland Security chair faces ethics scrutiny

Rep. Bennie Thompson's panel under ethics investigation over credit card hearing, campaign donations Full story

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Senate preserves long-term care program

GOP falls short in a bid to strike the voluntary insurance plan. Full story

White House

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Obama: Jobs report 'encouraging’

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Unexpected drop in jobless rate fuels optimism

Two years of steep job cuts all but ended last month, unexpectedly pulling down the unemployment rate and raising hopes for a lasting economic recovery.