It’s Wednesday, October 8. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Greta Thunberg and the lost children of Europe; Niall Ferguson and Bari Weiss on the livestream; the conversion therapy confusion; Kat Rosenfield asks if a happy Taylor Swift can make good music. And more.

But first: New York cops brace for a mayor who once said “defund the police.”

A few months ago, I received an email that stopped me in my tracks.

“NYPD terrified of a Mayor Mamdani,” the subject line read.

The note was from a lieutenant who told me that after nearly 20 years on the job, he was considering retiring from the New York City Police Department—all due to a 33-year-old socialist named Zohran Mamdani, the likely next mayor of New York. He mentioned he wasn’t the only one—that a bunch of his buddies on the force felt the same way.

The NYPD can be a tough nut for a journalist to crack. During the United Nations General Assembly, I wandered the streets of Turtle Bay, passing out my card to officers, hoping they might contact me after duty. I called and texted dozens of officers involved in various fraternal organizations. Cops can be wary about speaking to the media, and for days I heard nothing.

But then, officers started talking. And this is what they said: The cops aren’t happy about the former-activist mayor-in-waiting who previously called to “defund the NYPD.” Not one bit.

Meet the officers who say if Mamdani gets into Gracie Mansion, they’re getting out of the force—or even, in some instances, the city.

—Olivia Reingold

For more on the New York mayor’s race, join Olivia, deputy editor Oliver Wiseman, and 2Way founder and political analyst Mark Halperin for a livestream at 12 p.m. ET today. Click here to mark your calendars.

In other New York news, Saul Zabar, who led his family’s legendary Upper West Side grocery store for 70 years, passed away Tuesday at age 97. We asked some of the store’s patrons—including Jerry Seinfeld, David Mamet, and Colin Quinn—what Zabar’s means to them. Here’s what they said:

Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with senators in a combative hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. (Win McNamee via Getty Images)

• Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with senators on everything from Jeffrey Epstein to violent crime in a combative hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to discuss oversight of the Justice Department. Bondi declined to comment on the indictment of former FBI director James Comey. (Read Jed Rubenfeld on the very political prosecution of Comey.)

• The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists for their work in quantum mechanics on Tuesday. Their research, conducted in the 1980s, was vital to the development of cell phone technology and modern-day computers.

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced Tuesday that the amount of goods traded globally this year is projected to surpass its previous expectations. While the WTO initially expected a 0.2 percent decline in trade goods in April, Tuesday’s announcement raised their prediction to a 2.4 percent growth this year—a boom largely attributed to rising AI-related purchases.

• Gold prices rose to $4,000 per troy ounce for the first time in history. The rush to gold likely signals increasing doubts about the stability of the U.S. economy, as investors scramble for alternatives to the dollar. (Read Suzy Weiss on The Great Gold Rush of 2024.)

• Airport staffing shortages are causing delays to flights across the country. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy says the government shutdown is exacerbating an existing nationwide shortage of 3,800 fully qualified air traffic controllers.

• According to new data from the energy think tank Ember, renewable energy has surpassed coal as the world’s leading source of electricity. Ember described the findings as a “crucial turning point” as the race for energy heats up worldwide.

We have a packed season of conversations, debates, and live events. Here’s what’s coming up:

• The New York Mayoral Race: One Month Out
  Livestream • October 8, 12 p.m. • 📅 Add to Calendar

• Anduril Founder Palmer Luckey Live with Bari Weiss
  Washington, D.C. • October 8, 7 p.m. • 🎟️ Sold out!

• Abigail Shrier, Larissa Phillips, and Suzy Weiss on Love, Marriage, and Mothering
  Livestream • October 9, 4 p.m. • 📅 Add to Calendar

• TGIF Live with Nellie Bowles and Will Rahn
  Livestream • October 10, 1 p.m. • 📅 Add to Calendar

• Reclaiming Childhood in an Online World with Jonathan Haidt
  New York, NY • October 22, 7 p.m. • 🎟️ Tickets on sale here

Full Schedule