Midday Roundup: Nagmeh Abedini 'hopeful' after meeting with Obama

Renewed hope. President Barack Obama assured Nagmeh Abedini in person Wednesday that returning her imprisoned husband to the United States from Iran was a top priority. Abedini’s husband, Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini, was arrested more than two years ago in Iran and sentenced to eight years in prison for his Christian faith. Naghmeh Abedini has advocated tirelessly for her husband’s release since then, but Wednesday was her first audience with the president—a 10-minute meeting before he spoke at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, the Abedinis’ hometown. It came after more than 100,000 people signed an online petition urging Obama to meet with Abedini during his prescheduled trip. “The president repeated his desire to do all that he can to bring Saeed home,” Abedini said in a statement. “That means the world to me and my children and has given me a renewed sense of hope.”

Surprise guest. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress about the threats posed by Iran and radical Islam to the world. Netanyahu has frequently urged the Obama administration and other world leaders to get tougher on Iran. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced Netanyahu’s scheduled appearance Wednesday in an apparent blindside to the Obama administration. “I did not consult with the White House,” Boehner said. “The Congress can make this decision on its own.” The speaker’s announcement came less than 24 hours after the president, in his State of the Union speech, said diplomatic efforts with Iran are working and told Congress to back off.

No true bill. Sources inside the Justice Department say it looks like the FBI will clear Officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in its investigation of the shooting death of Michael Brown. A St. Louis County grand jury in November decided not to indict Wilson, giving credibility to his statement that he shot Brown in self-defense after the unarmed teen attacked him. The New York Times and CNN both reported that investigators have finished their inquiry and plan to recommend no charges to Attorney General Eric Holder, who will make the final decision.

Crossing wires. Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney plan to meet this week, possibly to draw up some ground rules as they both work to build support for 2016 presidential campaigns. The New York Times reports that Bush, former governor of Florida, and Romney, former Massachusetts governor and two-time presidential contender, have been knocking on the same doors in the Republican party for weeks, causing some in the party to worry aggressive campaigning by both men will bring further divisions to the already fractured GOP.

Pay to play. Federal investigators arrested New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, today on charges he took millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for political favors. The 70-year-old Silver faces five criminal charges, including conspiracy and bribery. Silver is accused of obtaining “about $4 million in payments characterized as attorney referral fees solely through the corrupt use of his official position.” Silver’s attorney, Joel Cohen, called the charges meritless. The U.S. Attorney’s Office leveled the charges after taking over the files of New York’s Moreland Anti-Corruption Commission, formed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Investigations into Albany’s pay-to-play politics, stemming from the commission’s findings, are continuing.