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Jonathan Silver, the executive director of the Energy Department's Loan Programs Office, stepped down from that position amid scrutiny from congressional Republicans over loans granted to the now-bankrupt energy firm Solyndra. Energy Secretary Steve Chu told the Post that the departure had been planned.

The Obama administration welcomed Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Friday and said farewell to Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, whose final day as the top American military officer was punctuated by the killing of a key al-Qaida figure....

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, once the top commander in Iraq and then Afghanistan, will leave the Pentagon Wednesday for the halls of the CIA next week.

A White House official says President Barack Obama will name labor economist Alan Krueger to a top administration post.

Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine, known for his detailed and personal verse about the working class, has been appointed the country's new poet laureate.

The secretary's decision not to leave means President Obama can avoid a Senate confirmation fight to fill the post during a time of financial turmoil. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will not be stepping down, ending speculation that the key Obama administration advisor was preparing to resign.

General David Petraeus, the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, handed over command of U.S. and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan on Monday, a day after a gradual process of transferring security to Afghan forces began.

President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the new consumer financial watchdog agency, White House officials said.

A day after stepping down as CIA director, Leon Panetta was sworn in Friday as secretary of defense. He began settling into the job by telling members of the military and their families they are "at the top of my agenda."...

Timothy F. Geithner is considering leaving the Obama administration after a deal is reached to reduce the federal deficit.