This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel – who spent the last several years wrongfully detained in a Russian prison – returned to the U.S. this week thanks to a prisoner swap spearheaded by President Donald Trump’s administration. Fogel, in comments to the media following his return, said: “I love our country, and I’m so happy to be back here.”

Former Pennsylvania state Rep. Kevin Boyle has secured a new job in Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration after losing a primary race last year. Boyle, whose family had previously expressed worries about his mental health, will now advance the administration’s initiatives for city residents with substance abuse disorder, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.

U.S. Steel’s stock price was up this week, and so was the mood at the Pittsburgh-based manufacturer after President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on foreign competition – which prompted company officials to wax rhapsodic about “a new Golden Age of American steelmaking.” Meanwhile, U.S. Steel’s erstwhile corporate suitor, Japan’s Nippon Steel – whose recent merger proposal was nixed by then-President Joe Biden – suggested it might instead invest in the Allegheny outfit.

Feeling guilty about how little you've practiced Spanish this week? Now you can feel even guiltier: Duolingo, the popular Pittsburgh-based language-learning app, announced the death this week of its owl mascot, Duo, adding on social media: “Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson.” The lime-green avian had nudged procrastinating linguists since Duolingo's 2011 launch. The company later tweeted a cryptic video of a Tesla Cybertruck colliding with the doomed fowl, then suggested that conscientious app users could “bring Duo back to life.”

Pennsylvania DIYers will soon have one fewer resource nearby, now that Joann announced that it is closing 500 of its 800 fabric and crafts stores – including the one in Lebanon, where the company launched in 1978. Joann filed for bankruptcy in January – and if there’s any silver lining, you’ll find it deeply discounted at a going-out-of-business sale near you.

From Carnegie Mellon to the University of Pennsylvania and on campuses in between, the commonwealth’s research universities collectively shuddered this week as the Trump administration threatened dramatic cuts in NIH funding, most universities’ main source of research monies. Penn, the region’s largest recipient, could lose $250 million to the president’s directive, which targets so-called “indirect costs.” The order was blocked by a federal judge in response to lawsuits – but scientists say the climate of uncertainty has already caused some labs to pause activity for fear of misusing funds.