Former Vice President Joe Biden is the only Democrat in the 2020 race who has run for president more than once before. And as he "grows accustomed to the front-runner status he never enjoyed in his two previous White House bids," Jonathan Martin writes at The New York Times, his campaign is struggling with how best to showcase "Biden's never-met-a-stranger persona without exposing him to an environment where he may commit a gaffe."

So far, their effort has been largely successful, Martin argues:

The most notable feature of his campaign may be what hasn't happened: He has not blurted anything out that delights his rivals, horrifies his aides and reinforces his image as "Uncle Joe," America's there-he-goes-again relative who makes you smile and wince in equal measure. It is early yet — which even Mr. Biden's friends allow as they hold their breath — and precedent offers good reason to question whether his streak of mostly error-free days can last. [The New York Times]

Biden's staff has minimized the risks by sticking close to him and limiting questions. But so far, Biden is proving to be his best handler, the Times says, showing "uncharacteristic restraint in the face of temptation."

Biden doesn't take the bait when supporters insult President Trump, he offers supporters "selfies as often as embraces," and "when he does hug a supporter, it is usually when he is asked for one or after he asks permission," the Times reports. "When a woman yelled out, 'You can hug and kiss me anytime!' at a rally near Las Vegas last week, Mr. Biden smiled, made the sign of the cross and, after a pause, simply said, 'That's nice, thank you very much.'"

This low bar is presumably not why Biden is the clear Democratic front-runner. And not all Biden friends and allies think this restrained Joe is — or even should be — sustainable. You can read more at The New York Times. Peter Weber

You know the drill!

It's Friday, which means Jane Fonda is protesting climate change in Washington, D.C. This week's "Fire Drill Friday" features appearances by actresses Diane Lane and Piper Perabo, as well as The Good Place actor Manny Jacinto and model Amber Valletta, per The Hollywood Reporter. Lane, Perabo, and Valletta were arrested after they reportedly blocked traffic in front of the Supreme Court, but Fonda avoided being detained this week.

The woman who started it all has been playing it cool in recent weeks, as another jail stay could be lengthy due to Fonda's first four arrests. Organizers fear she could face up to 90 days if she's arrested again, Deadline reports, which would render her unable to participate in the scene-stealing protests. Fonda previously spent one night in jail, which she said involved some one-on-one time with cockroaches.

The protests have drawn numerous A-listers thus far, and Fonda has teased that there are more big names to come. But any Hollywood stars looking to grab a slice of the climate change spotlight should book their flights to D.C. soon — Fonda has to be back in Los Angeles come January to film Grace and Frankie. Marianne Dodson

That one's gotta hurt.

On Friday, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he'd earned the endorsement of Oliver Davis Jr., a black community leader in Indiana. The endorsement got some heavy play for someone who's not even close to a national political figure — but all makes sense considering Davis is from Pete Buttigieg's hometown.

Davis is the vice president of the common council in South Bend, Indiana, where Buttigieg is mayor. In fact, Davis even ran for mayor earlier this year after Buttigieg declined to run, but couldn't beat the 4,447 votes that Buttigieg's chief of staff earned to clinch the Democratic nomination. Still, Davis is one of the longest-serving members of the city's common council, and focused on Biden's long tensure in his endorsement. "In times like these, when the political winds are fiercely blowing across our country, it's important for us to have an experienced leader who has been through the diverse storms of life to guide our country," he said.

It's hard not to read that as a shot at Buttigieg, who is 40 years Biden's junior and has faced major criticism over his lack of political and life experience and dismal showing among black voters. And if that weren't enough of a blow, Biden was sure to point out that Davis "joins two other African American elected officials from Indiana" in backing Biden as well. Kathryn Krawczyk

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is making some big, structural additions to her 2020 presidential campaign's leadership team.

On Friday, Warren announced that Reps. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) would be joining her campaign as co-chairs. All three congressmembers were first elected in 2018's Democratic House sweep, and have remained in the spotlight ever since.

Warren released a statement to announce the representatives' appointments, praising their work in 2018 and how they've continued to campaign for Warren across the country since endorsing her earlier this year. With it came a video of Haaland, Porter, and Pressley speaking at Warren rallies and praising her political rhetoric so far.

Pressley diverged from the rest of the progressive "Squad" earlier this month when she announced her endorsement of Warren. Haaland stirred up controversy with her endorsement given that she was the first Native American woman to be elected to Congress, and Warren made a campaign video to show a DNA test proved she had a Native American ancestor several generations back. Kathryn Krawczyk

You've probably heard Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is a vegan — but did you know he's also a former Division 1 football player?

If you need a refresher, look no further than The Washington Post's most recent presidential candidate TikTok, which features a laser-focused Booker running to make his flight to Iowa. Booker slams into an unsuspecting passerby (played by Post TikTok creator Dave Jorgenson) in the process, knocking him to the ground and reminding everyone that, despite his dietary preferences, Booker's got some meat on his bones.

Bold of Jorgenson to agree to being pummeled by Booker, seeing as the presidential candidate played tight end at Stanford University in 1989 and 1990. The TikTok creator did follow up acknowledging Booker's former athletic career — hopefully he'll book it out of there faster in the future. Marianne Dodson

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has it out for a Purple Heart veteran.

When Lt. Col Alexander Vindman testified in the impeachment hearing into President Trump on Tuesday, Trump and other Republicans questioned his military bonafides and seemed skeptical of the fact that he doesn't know who the Ukraine whistleblower is. And in a Friday tweet, Blackburn kept the attacks going, tweeting that "Vindictive Vindman is the 'whistleblower’s' handler."

There's a lot wrong with this short tweet. First, it suggests Vindman has something against Trump, furthering the right-wing rhetoric that claims he's less American because he was born in the Soviet Union. And second, it falsely claims Vindman knows the identity of the whistleblower — something that isn't true, but didn't stop Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) from trying to get Vindman to spill their identity on Tuesday. And third, it's an outright smear on a high-ranking military official who received heaps of praise for his service before, during, and after his hearing. Kathryn Krawczyk

John Bolton is back... on Twitter.

The former national security adviser was apparently locked out of his government-tied account after what he claims was his resignation from the White House and what President Trump says was his firing. But as of Friday morning, he's back online and typing as many ellipses as his heart desires.

Bolton surprised the world (or at least a few people) Friday when he tweeted that he was back on Twitter and that everyone should "stay tuned" for some kind of backstory. It's unclear if that's the backstory to his firing or just how he got kicked off social media — the former of which would be relevant to impeachment investigators, who he was recently reported to be willing to testify for.

Then, because his two-month vacation from the internet seemingly led him to forget how to use it, Bolton retweeted himself, and then sent a more dramatic version of his first message about two and a half hours later.

Bolton, however, did not and still does not need any online liberation to speak with the House in its ongoing investigation of Trump's dealing with Ukraine. Kathryn Krawczyk