Good week, Bad week

Good week for:

Making nice, after Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, suggested the country drop its famed “Death to America” chant in order to improve relations with the West. “We can stand against powers with prudence rather than with slogans,” said Rouhani.

Fixing Congress, after the government announced that the U.S. Capitol’s iconic dome will be covered in scaffolding for two years to repair 1,300 cracks and other structural damage.

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Having a heart, after Miami-Dade police Officer Vicki Thomas decided not to arrest a penniless mother who was shoplifting groceries, and bought her $100 worth of food instead. Seeing the mom’s hungry kids open the bags of food “was like Christmas,” Thomas said. “That $100 to me was worth it.”

Bad week for:

Heartlessness, after police arrested an unemployed Ohio woman for allegedly stealing $2.87 in coins from a fountain. “I’m trying to feed myself,” said Deidre Romine. “[Now] I might go to jail.”

Running up the score, after the undefeated high school football team from Aledo, Texas, crushed the Western Hills team, 91–0. “I would never ask our kids not to play hard,’’ said Aledo’s coach.

The illusion of anonymity, after the White House fired national security official Jofi Joseph for his comments on an anonymous Twitter account. In his tweets, Joseph called top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett “vacuous,” said Huma Abedin must have been wearing “beer goggles” when she married Anthony Weiner, and mocked Sarah Palin and her family as “white trash.”