It’s Thursday, March 5. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: The Dubai expats sheltering in luxury. Europeans get mugged by climate reality. Newsom misses the point in Iran. And much more.

But first: If the Iranian regime falls, what comes next?

President Donald Trump hasn’t eased his campaign to batter Iran’s regime into submission. Iran “has no navy, it’s been knocked out. They have no air force, that’s been knocked out. They have no air detection, that’s been knocked out,” Trump declared from the Oval Office, less than 100 hours into the fighting.

Yet few U.S. reports so far have captured how Iranians opposed to the regime are responding amid the rubble and twisted steel. Even a battered regime will likely cling to power until its remains are pushed out by an organized force.

For early signs of resistance, look to the Kurds. The minority group in Iran’s mountainous northwest has clashed with the regime since before the 1979 revolution reached its end. Last month, five Kurdish groups committed to fight the regime, and now they’re organizing under the cover of U.S.-Israeli air power. Jay Solomon reports on whether these fighters could push out the regime—or plunge Iran into civil war:

Iran’s Persian majority lacks much organized resistance because their rulers have killed, jailed, or cast out would-be opposition leaders. Now millions are looking to those exiled and imprisoned men to emerge and command their nation. Amy Kellogg profiles some of the brightest lights, from the former prime minister who stood up to the hard-liners, to Reza Pahlavi, the deposed crown prince who could restore the shah’s throne.

With the internet and cellular networks knocked out across much of Iran, it’s difficult for dissidents to rally, or even know what’s going on in the war. For decades, the U.S. had a tool tailor-made for this purpose—until the Trump administration began to dismantle it last year. What motivated Trump to gut radio services like Voice of America, which could draw millions of Iranians toward America’s mission? Read Frannie Block’s investigation to find out.

—Mene Ukueberuwa

Missiles Fall Nearby, but Dubai’s Expats Don’t Want to Leave

River Page

The night sky of the city of Dubai has been scattered with Iranian missiles since the U.S.-Israeli operation began last Saturday. The Emirati city has attracted thousands of Western expats, enthralled by luxury and glitz—and many of the ones River Page talked to are refusing to leave. “During war,” one said, “we can go to the mall, we can go to the beach, we can go shopping. Like, I have a massage coming to my house.” Read full story

The NYC Public Defender Who Sends Books to Prisoners

Shilo Brooks

Shilo Brooks sits down with New York City public defender Ben Schatz to talk about the novel True Grit—and the nature of justice in America. Schatz co-founded an organization that provides books to people in prison, offering a glimpse into the world of reading while they serve their time. Schatz provides a passionate critique of our current justice system, all while discussing this great novel, True Grit. Listen on

How Reality Destroyed Europe’s Green Energy Dreams

Bjorn Lomborg

Europe’s grand green experiment is running headlong into economic reality. Bjorn Lomborg traces how soaring energy costs, industrial backlash, and geopolitical shocks, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, woke the continent up. Once committed to a net-zero consensus, Europe is now being reshaped by realities of unaffordability, insecurity, and political risk. Read full story

Newsom Looks Small in the Face of a Big War

Peter Savodnik

The Iran war is America’s answer to nearly a half-century of hostility from the Islamic Republic. Yet to progressives such as California governor Gavin Newsom, the conflict is merely one more chance to knock Israel and President Trump. Peter Savodnik picks apart Newsom’s tone-deaf critiques, and asks why many Democrats can’t see the war for what it is. Read full story

Death in One Day: Inside Canada’s Assisted-Suicide Machine

Rupa Subramanya