President Barack Obama invited Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wants to succeed him, over the White House on Wednesday for a private chat. Some details about their 45-minute talk:

—Sanders said the two talked foreign policy, the economy and “a little bit of politics.”

—It was their first extended sit-down since Sanders launched himself into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

—The meeting was a chance for Obama to show public neutrality in the unexpectedly tight nomination contest between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Obama’s former secretary of state.

—Sanders said he didn’t ask for Obama’s endorsement; he did ask for an update on the fight against Islamic extremism and the effort to warm relations with Iran.

—The White House said Obama thinks Sanders’ candidacy is good for Democrats, helping to get them energized politically, even though the president has seemed to shower more praise on Clinton than on Sanders.

(AP)