The Daily

Take a look at work from The Daily’s illustration desk this week.

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Illustrations by Sylvia Le, Keiden Carlos, Max Smee, Mariko Carskaddan, Maya Rasche, and Jenny Pyon The Daily

Check out some of the most popular sports stories from this week at The Daily.

Find these and more at our website.

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Washington softball drops series finale 3-2 to Ohio State on crushing error
By Sports Editor Jared Tucker, photo by Katrina Lin

Washington women’s tennis falls in Round of 32, defeated 4-0 by Virginia
By Idrissa Gaye, photo by Aiden Sparks

Washington lands commitment from offensive lineman Reis Russell
By Sports Editor Jared Tucker, photo by Joseph Esteban

Washington women’s basketball lands former 5-star recruit through transfer portal
By Sports Editor Jared Tucker, photo by Joseph Esteban

Washington falls apart in the eighth, drops series opener to No. 13 Oregon 6-4
By Sports Editor Andrew Sousa, photo by Farrel Sudrajat

[OPINION] On April 29, a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) “Prove Me Wrong” event was hosted on the HUB lawn, welcoming right-wing politician and social media personality Nick Freitas to engage in an “open mic” debate. The event is a part of TPUSA’s “Pick Up The Mic” initiative, in which the organization travels to different college campuses to hold tabling events and lead debates with a variety of conservative hosts.

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Read Critical Conversations beat writer Gabi Treece’s full piece online.

Photo by Zoe Hsieh The Daily

[ARTS + CULTURE] Indian culture and community manifest differently on campus throughout the
year. Whether it’s through a fake wedding or a Holi celebration, my community loves the chance to dust off their cultural clothing and celebrate their presence at UW. Most recently, Desi Dhamaka, an Indian performing-arts showcase that involved multiple RSOs, was a reminder of the strong Indian presence at UW and their enduring dedication to the arts, both classical and modern.

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Read writer Neetra Chakraborty’s full piece online.

Photo courtesy of Nikhil Devisetty

[SCIENCE] The rapid expansion of human populations occurs concurrently with the mass decline of wildlife and its habitats. As humans invent and innovate, we push wildlife out of spaces we once shared. Species are left stranded, clinging to one another as their homes are destroyed, with the understanding that death is inevitable.

Over the course of 50 years, the average wildlife population size has declined a staggering 73%. By 2050, one-third of the planet’s animal and plant species are projected to go extinct due to global warming. Humans depend on a healthy planet, abundant biodiversity, and a thriving ecosystem to prosper. When one system fails, others will follow. Wildlife conservation isn’t a plan for tomorrow; it is an urgency that must be addressed today.

Sarah Converse is a professor at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the unit leader at the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and a federal scientist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

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Read columnist Kaira Wullur’s full piece online.

Illustration by Avery Longo The Daily

[SCIENCE] Desert planets have long been darlings of science fiction writers, from Frank Herbert and Arrakis to George Lucas and Tatooine. Unfortunately, according to researchers at UW, planets might need more water than previously thought in order to maintain a habitable
environment on geological timescales.

Haskelle White-Gianella, Ph.D. candidate in planetary science and astrobiology at UW and lead author of the paper published April 15, 2026, is aware of the implications of her findings in the realm of pop culture.

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Read writer Gideon Hall’s full piece online.

Illustration by Maya Rasche The Daily

[OPINION] In the dead of winter quarter, I called my older sister, Denise, who lives an ocean away from me, eight hours ahead. I was in an empty study room, and it had been so long since someone walked by that the automatic hallway lights had stayed off for hours.

Witnessing the minutes pass, it felt as if I stared hard enough that I could force time to go backwards and save myself. I just wish I could’ve started the essay I was working on days earlier, instead of right before the looming deadline.

“I’m literally watching the time I have to sleep disappear,” I told her while freaking out.

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Read Christian Jaidar’s full piece online.

Illustration by Noah Babai The Daily

[OPINION] On April 12, President Donald Trump posted on X, saying that Pope Leo XIV is “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

On the same day, Trump posted an AI-generated photo of himself portrayed as Jesus.

Many Catholics were immediately suspicious of the president’s intentions behind the post, if not outright angry. Trump has also used AI to portray himself as the Pope in the past, an action that would cause anyone — regardless of their religion — to question what he’s doing.

UW student Eva Scearce, who attended Catholic school for 10 years, discussed her thoughts on Trump’s X posts and the intersection of Catholicism and politics.

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Read Jaya Parsons’s full piece online.

Media by Max Smee The Daily

[NEWS] One day after a student was arrested for disorderly conduct during a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event on the HUB Lawn, dozens of protesters — including the arrested student — returned to the site and accused the university of suppressing dissent.

UW officials have maintained the arrest was necessary to prevent disruption of a permitted event.

The arrest, which occurred late Wednesday morning during a “Prove Me Wrong” tabling event featuring Nick Freitas, has since spurred further debate, with student groups, university officials, and event organizers offering sharply different accounts of what happened and why.

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Read technology beat reporter Talan Collins’ full piece online.

Photos by Kanoa Shim, Tenzin Palden, and Zoe Hsieh The Daily

[ARTS + CULTURE] As someone who hadn’t been to a concert band performance since middle school, I never expected that stepping into the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater on April 30 for the UW Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band’s “Scenes and Portraits” would leave me in tears.

“Scenes and Portraits” is a collection of works that evokes strong emotions, from dark romanticism to lively pop-like compositions. The performance embodies a flowing river, taking the audience through a seasonal journey of life itself and the experiences it holds.

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Read contributing writer Summer Brown’s full piece online.

Photo courtesy of Cyan Duong

[ARTS + CULTURE] The Jacob Lawrence Gallery has been home to many things; Graduation exhibitions, student art shows, book clubs, and art talks have all filled the room with various creations, creators, and audiences. The gallery was transformed into a market and studio for the “Print, Copy, Paste Zine Fest” on Friday, April 24.

The evening before the festival, the gallery also hosted a zine making event for anyone interested in making their own work. Rather than keeping the creation aspect of the event to just one evening, it was continued into the actual festival as well. The welcome area just outside of the heart of the gallery was filled with zine making supplies; paper of every color covered tables, inviting passersby to not just observe the festival, but to actively participate in.

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Read writer Montanna Lovins’ full piece online.

Photo by Szerena Guggenheim-Schoening The Daily