1.) This is what getting caught in the middle looks like — TheDC’s Michelle Fields has had a rough couple of weeks. First she was harangued by a mob of screaming, foul-mouthed Occupy DC creeps, and yesterday she got caught between OWS and the NYPD. TheDC’s Jordan Bloom reports:

“While covering Occupy Wall Street’s ‘Day of Action’ Thursday morning, Daily Caller reporter Michelle Fields and videographer Direna Cousins were struck by NYPD officers as police tried to clear Wall Street of protesters. ‘The police officers were beating the protesters with batons, and were also beating the media,’ Fields told TheDC. ‘They hit Direna and me with batons. They hit other members of the press in order to get them to move out of the street.’ Both were struck, but neither sustained injuries that required hospitalization.”

You can watch it here. They’re okay, fortunately. But apparently, this is supposed to mean that TheDC is wrong to point out the riots, murder, arson, and other chaos generated by the Occupy movement. Well, alright: You may bring violence, filth, and disease with you wherever you go, Occupiers, but you did help up a reporter when she got knocked down by the cops you made necessary, during the near-riot you were instigating by flicking lit cigarettes in cops’ faces and throwing batteries at them. Hey, only 7 officers were injured yesterday. That’s way less than your average Tea Party, right? So all is forgiven, Occupiers. And to the victims of Occupy-related crimes nationwide: Get over it. The slate has been wiped clean.

P.S. OWS also chanted “Follow those kids!” at terrified children trying to make their way through the howling mob just to get to school. Maybe “Think” “Progress” can explain why that doesn’t matter either.

P.P.S. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the solid citizen who has nothing to do with OWS (wink wink) and who shot at the White House last week, has been charged with trying to assassinate Obama. If you’re wondering why this isn’t bigger news, that’s because they haven’t figured out a way to blame a Republican yet.

2.) Holder boulder won’t stop rollin’ — And it just gets larger and larger by the day. TheDC’s Matthew Boyle reports that Fast and Furious isn’t going away just because Eric Holder wants it to:

“The number of congressmen calling for Holder’s immediate resignation is now 51. New additions to that list include Republican Reps. Todd Akin and Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, Steven Palazzo of Mississippi and Jeff Duncan of South Carolina. Rep. Westmoreland said Operation Fast and Furious was a disgrace to the American people and that Holder needs to resign immediately. ‘Fast and Furious played fast and loose with the American public’s safety, leaving a U.S. Border patrol agent dead and DOJ-purchased guns in the hands of Mexican drug lords,’ Westmoreland told The Daily Caller. ‘To say this program was a failure and an embarrassment to the U.S. justice system is an understatement… No matter how many times the attorney general’s statement of when he was aware of Operation Fast and Furious changes — and it has changed almost daily — at the end of the day, he is the head of the Department of Justice and the buck stops with him,’ said Westmoreland.”

Holder took the buck with him this week on his five-day junket to Barbados. Correction: it’s your buck. You’re footing the bill, taxpayer. Meanwhile, Brian Terry and all the other people killed in Fast and Furious are still dead.

3.) What Chu’s talkin’ ’bout — TheDC’s C.J. Ciaramella reports on the other Obama administration scandal that stubbornly refuses to go away:

“Energy Secretary Stephen Chu refused to apologize or admit any serious error in the handling of the Solyndra loan Thursday, leading one House Republican to call for his firing. During his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday, committee members grilled Chu over the Energy Department’s $535 million loan to bankrupt solar company Solyndra. Chu admitted the Solyndra loan was a ‘regrettable’ failure, but he denied the decision to award the loan was politically motivated or the result of incompetent vetting. Committee chairman Fred Upton asked Chu pointedly, ‘Who is to apologize for the half a billion dollars that has been out the door?’ ‘Well, it’s extremely unfortunate what has happened with Solyndra,’ Chu responded. ‘If you look back and look at the time, the decisions being made, was there incompetence, was there any influence of a political nature? And I would have to say no.'”

Well, of course he has to say that. What else is he going to do, admit the obvious? The key is to “accept responsibility” without admitting any mistakes or wrongdoing. “Take the blame” without accepting any consequences. That’s supposed to be sufficient. That’s what Chu’s supposed to do.

4.) Why is Herman Cain getting Secret Service protection already? — Associated Press:

“The U.S. Secret Service says Herman Cain is becoming the first Republican presidential contender to receive its protection. The Georgia businessman requested the detail. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders agreed Thursday to provide the elite protection to Cain’s campaign… He is the first Republican candidate to receive Secret Service protection.”

We don’t know yet why this is happening, which makes this the second Cain story in a month for which that’s true. But if you think it’s happening way too early in the campaign, keep in mind that Obama’s Secret Service protection started in May 2007. So really, the Republicans are getting a late start.

5.) And to close out the week with a feel-good story… — If you woke up this morning feeling like maybe everything’s going to be okay after all, this is why. AOL TV reports:

“‘The Joy Behar Show’ has been canceled. According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘The Joy Behar Show’ will end its two-year run in December. The series is the second highest rated series on HLN behind Nancy Grace.”

Which is a bit like losing a slamdunk contest to Michael Moore, but whatever. While this is great news for HLN viewer(s) and anyone else who’s ever been subjected to the sound of Behar’s voice, we should try to be sensitive to her feelings right now. Let’s just hope she doesn’t allow herself to become spiteful and embittered.

6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Truther, er, Twitter feed — “Bloomberg should have found a home for OWS somewhere in NYC. Then let them protest as long and loud as they want.” (How about your place, Alec?)

VIDEO: Occupy San Diego holds moment of silence/solidarity for White House shooter

To read TheDC Morning before everybody else, click here.