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:

What Is Taylor Swift Without a Breakup?

Kat Rosenfield

There is no star on the planet bigger than Taylor Swift—especially this week, as she just released her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. For 15-plus years, the secret to Swift’s stratospheric success has been her ability to make music out of misery—but what happens when the legendary gloomy girl lives happily ever after? Kat Rosenfield asks whether what’s good for the artist is good for the art. Read full story

Conversion Therapy Reaches the Supreme Court

Lisa Selin Davis

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case about whether a ban on “conversion therapy” is legal. The justices must decide if the practice is protected by the First Amendment—but in the Court this week the biggest debate was over what conversion therapy actually is. That’s because conversion therapy—and its relationship to gender identity—are frequently misunderstood. Lisa Selin Davis clears up the confusion. Read full story

Greta Thunberg and Sweden’s Lost Children

Annika Hernroth-Rothstein

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel—for the second time—after joining 170 other activists on a flotilla headed toward Gaza. As with everything she does, her journey was broadcast across the world. But Annika Hernroth-Rothstein argues that Thunberg isn’t just a celebrity activist. She’s also a case study of what has gone wrong in Sweden and the rest of Europe over the past several decades. She is a lost child on a lost continent, both desperately seeking purpose. Read full story

This Week in Canada: Will the Bromance Help Deliver a Tariff Deal?

Rupa Subramanya

This week in Rupa Subramanya’s dispatch from up north: Mark Carney tries to bromance his way to a deal with Donald Trump, a politician does the unthinkable by admitting he was wrong, why the price of arranged marriages is the newest sign of Canada’s economic woes, and more. Read full story