Biden suggests Maxine run for Senate

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden encouraged California Rep. Maxine Waters to run for Senate during a bill signing event at the White House, which produced a series of hot microphone moments for the president. "Senator, I hope. You think I'm kidding,

I'm not," Biden said Wednesday as he greeted the lawmaker who is often mocked by conservatives. Biden signed three bills during the Wednesday ceremony also attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another favorite target of the Right.

After brief remarks describing the soon-to-be laws, Biden welcomed Pelosi to the stage after the pair publicly clashed over how to pass the $1.2 trillion bipartisan "hard" infrastructure deal and a possible $6 trillion "soft" infrastructure reconciliation framework. "Hey, by the way, keep it up on - " Biden whispered to the top House Democrat before his mic dropped out.

In another exchange, Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky offered Biden her condolences after the death of his German shepherd Champ this month at the age of 13.

"Tell you what, it's a killer, isn't it? Thank you for saying that," he replied. Later in the ceremony, he joked about wearing a mic while speaking with the three separate groups of lawmakers, who took turns to join him at the signing table for a photo.

"I better be careful what I say," he told Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon and Bobby Scott of Virginia. The Democrats touted the congressional review bills as protecting the planet from "climate-disrupting, greenhouse gas methane," protecting consumers from predatory lenders, and protecting workers from employment discrimination.