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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 5th, 2025: Hamas Returns Remains Of American-Israeli Soldier & Democratic Socialism Wins Big In NYC
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Mike Baker
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But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Hamas returned the body of American Israeli soldier Itay Ken last night, marking the latest exchange under the Trump administration's Gaza ceasefire deal. It's a rare moment of closure for his family amid the slow and fragile progress of the agreement. The 19 year old staff sergeant, who held dual American and Israeli citizenship, was serving in a tank unit when Hamas terrorists stormed the Jewish state on 7 October back in 2023. Of course, two years later, after the handover late Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed this morning that Ken's remains were safely in Israeli custody. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed the news soon after the handover, saying in a statement that IDF representatives informed the family of Staff Sergeant Itai Ken that their loved one has been positively identified and returned to Israel, end quote. Hamas's military wing reports its operatives recovered Ken's body from a neighborhood in Gaza City's east. But the IDF maintains that he was killed near Kibbutz, near Oz on the first day of the war, suggesting his body was later taken deep inside Gaza. For Ken's parents, the confirmation and its 760 days of uncertainty, the family said in a statement shared with cnn, quote, our dear and beloved son Itai, a hero of Israel, was held captive by Hamas. Last night we received a bit of sweet news of his return home to Israel, end quote. The statement went on to call for the return of the remaining deceased hostages still in Gaza. Ken's return breaks the total Number of Israeli hostages bodies recovered to 21 out of 28. Under the first phase of the 20 Point Peace Plan, each Israeli body returned is matched by 15 Palestinian bodies sent back to the enclave from Israel. Today. Doctors at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis said they received 15 bodies via the Red Cross, consistent with that agreed upon ratio. The Red Cross now confirms it has transported 285 bodies from Israel to Gaza since the agreement was reached last month. Though Jerusalem hasn't disclosed the total number of Palestinian bodies it still holds. These exchanges essentially form the backbone of the deal, meant to build trust one slow step at a time, before larger security and political goals can take shape. Still, as we've been tracking, progress has been painfully slow. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling, saying that the terror group at times has, has returned misidentified or previously recovered partial remains to pass them off as new hostages. At the same time, Hamas continues its long repeated excuse of blaming its delay of returning the hostages on the scale of destruction across Gaza, citing collapsed tunnels that would be Hamas tunnels and search sites buried under rubble. As we've covered here on the pdb, those statements and excuses from the Iranian backed group have chipped away at what little trust the ceasefire has provided. And that gridlock has stalled the next phase of the ceasefire plan, which is the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip, Hamas disarmament, which they have yet to discuss, and the creation of a new governing authority under international supervision. In an effort to push the second phase forward. As we mentioned yesterday on the pdb, Washington has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize a two year transitional mandate for Agassiz governance. The draft calls for the creation of a Board of Peace to oversee reconstruction and political transition alongside an international stabilization force, or an ISF, made up entirely of Arab and Muslim nations. As our regular listeners know, in that draft, the ISF would work with Israel and Egypt to secure Gaza's borders, ensure the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, protect civilians, and train a restructured Palestinian police force. For Trump, whose Gaza peace plan aims to replace endless war with regional stewardship, Ken's return highlights the promise and fragility of the deal. A humanitarian exchange that keeps a ceasefire alive, but reveals just how tenuous phase one remains. All right, coming up next, the ballots are in and the verdict is clear. From New York City to New Jersey and Virginia, Democrats picked up wins in admittedly traditional Democrat strongholds. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here, host of the BDB and, well, as you know, fashion icon so Let me tell you about a great clothing company out there. It's called True Classic. Now, True Classic started with a very simple goal. Make premium comfortable clothing accessible. 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You can find them at Amazon, Target, Costco and Sam's Club or just head on over to trueclassic.com PDB or to grab the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Mike Baker here. Now you probably noticed but we are into November and you know what that means, right? Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Now one of the great things about Thanksgiving is it is one of those few times in the year when we can all slow down just a bit, right? And gather as families and remind ourselves of what we're thankful for. Do yourselves a favor, don't talk about taxes, politics or religion around that Thanksgiving table. Am I right? It's about gratitude. Not just for the past, but for the future. Now the terrific folks at Tritails Premium Beef, they understand that there are fifth generation ranching family in Texas raising cattle the right way and shipping great tasting beef straight to your door. Now, just in time for the season thankful box which they've got there online, their thankful box was built for this time of year and it's there to help you feed your family, honor tradition and create lasting memories around your table. And now let's be honest, right? No one's going to be upset if there's a little less turkey on the table and a little more beef. Check out Tritails Beef. Now simply go to tribe.com PDB again, that's tribe.com PDB.
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- [09:46]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. In the first major electoral test of Trump's second presidency, voters in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey delivered a clear message. The national agenda that the president hopes to ride into the 2026 midterm elections is not sitting easily with the Democrat base in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats clinch the governorships in decisive fashion in states seen as potential Trump era swing terrain. Well, at least seen that way by overly optimistic Republicans. Democrat Abigail spanberger, a former U.S. congressional representative and intelligence officer, will become Virginia's first female governor, while Democratic Representative Mikey Sherrill made history as the first female Democrat elected governor in New Jersey. Both candidates framed their victories as a referendum on President Trump and had focused their campaigns on economic issues, particularly inflation and affordability, as well as the administration's immigration crackdown, while tying their opponents to Trump's broader agenda and the ongoing government shutdown. Of course, that would be despite the fact that Democrats themselves have voted to not reopen the government 14 consecutive times on Capitol Hill. But you don't want to let those facts get in the way of a good narrative. But it was the New York City's mayor race that sucked up most of the media oxygen, and when the votes were counted, the result was, frankly, as expected. So Ron Mamdani, the Democratic socialist, won a commanding victory in the mayoral race, securing more than 1 million votes, more than all other candidates combined, such as they were. Former New York governor Hendrick Cuomo, who ran as independent, won just 41.6% of the vote, while Republican Curtis Sliwa notched 7%. In reality, Mamdani was facing little actual competition. The war cry for Cuomo was basically, hey, you may not like him, but hold your nose and vote for Cuomo. It's not really the finest of campaign messages. Mamdani's platform centered on major tax hikes for the wealthy and corporations to fund basically far left policies such as rent freezes and universal childcare and government controlled grocery stores and free buses, whatever else you can ladle on there. While business leaders and investors expressed grave concerns over putting a Democratic socialist in charge of the financial capital of the world. Well, that makes sense. Voters, especially young progressive voters, they appear ready for a London style experiment with a far left agenda. Now, as a British citizen born in London and a frequent visitor, I'd suggest that New York City not follow the London model, but perhaps it's too late for that. The win will see Mamdani serve as the city's first Muslim mayor. And political analysts say his victory reflects not just an urban rejection of the status quo, but a wholesale rebuke of the federal realignments Washington had hoped to carry into America's largest city. Trump, for his part, had reluctantly endorsed Cuomo, very reluctantly. It was a really a very half assed endorsement if you heard it, because, well, frankly, Cuomo was a terrible candidate. And Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds to New York City if Mamdani won, which he has. So we'll see where that goes, possibly setting up a showdown between Washington and, and the Big Apple. Momdani does look ready for a fight. Giving a fiery victory speech Tuesday evening that raised alarms even among Democrat strategists like Van Jones, who described his tone, meaning the mayor's, as angry and extreme. Mamdani said, quote, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. And if there is any way to terrify a despot. I don't know if Mamdani knows what the word despot means. I don't think he's lived in an area where there's an actual despot. It is by dismantling the very conditions he said that allowed him to accumulate power. So Donald Trump, he said, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn up the volume, end quote. Well, he does work social media very well. Trump responded with an ominous post on Truth Social, saying, quote, and so it begins. There you go. This is going to be fascinating. The president later blamed the electoral losses on the ongoing government shutdown, now the longest in history. Its effects have been particularly pronounced in Virginia, which is home to an outsized share of government employees. Feeling the squeeze from the freeze, Trump renewed his call on Wednesday for Republicans to kill the Senate filibuster in order to bypass Democrats and restore federal funding. Now, it's worth pointing out that New York and New Jersey have long been Democratic strongholds, of course, and elections in Virginia are largely dominated by voters in the suburban enclaves adjacent to Washington, D.C. while the results show a dissatisfaction with the state of the nation in these areas, these Democrat leaning regions did not break for Trump in 2024 and may not be indicative of the overall national sentiment. Midterm elections are still a year away, an eternity in the current US Political era, and according to a report from Reuters, national opinion polling shows the Democratic brand remains broadly unpopular. Still, the implications for the Trump administration are potentially stark and may force the Republican Party to recalibrate their policy strategy moving forward. Mamdani's victory also spotlights the rise of Democratic socialism, fueled by younger coalitions unconvinced by both corporate Democrats and the Trump era gop. And as I've often said, never underestimate the allure of socialism and free stuff when you've got voters who have never lived in a socialist society. At the very least, Mamdani's victory serves as a radical warning of the ever widening political divide across America, and suggests that Trump's 2024 electoral mandate may not be as broad and strong as enthusiastic MAGA supporters imagined. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Wednesday 5th November. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and if you find yourself with a couple free minutes during the day, please check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's, of course, on YouTube. Well, that makes sense. At President's Daily Brief, I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.