Typhoon floods villages, rips off roofs and damages 2 domestic airports in northern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Yinxing battered the northern Philippines with floods and landslides before blowing away from the country on Friday, leaving two airports damaged and aggravating a calamity caused by back-to-back storms that hit in recent weeks.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from Yinxing, the 13th major storm to hit the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago this year.

The typhoon, locally called Marce, was last tracked over the South China Sea about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the northern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte with sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 205 kph (127 mph), according to government forecasters. It is expected to weaken further before hitting Vietnam.

The typhoon flooded villages, toppled trees and electricity poles, and damaged houses and buildings in Cagayan province, where Yinxing made landfall Thursday afternoon, provincial officials said. More than 40,000 villagers were evacuated to safer ground in the province.

In the northernmost island province of Batanes, Gov. Marilou Cayco said Yinxing’s fierce winds and rain blew away roofs of houses and damaged seaports and two domestic airport terminals.

More details of damage, including in two northern mountain towns hit by landslides, were expected after provinces battered by the typhoon complete an assessment, officials said.

The new damage will complicate recovery efforts from two powerful storms that lashed the northern region in recent weeks.

Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey left at least 151 people dead in the Philippines and affected nearly 9 million others, mostly in the northern and central provinces. More than 14 billion pesos ($241 million) in rice, corn and other crops and infrastructure were damaged.

Trami dumped one to two months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours in some regions. In the hardest-hit province of Batangas, south of Manila, at least 61 people died in floods and landslides.

More than 630,000 people were still displaced due to Trami and Kong-rey as of Thursday, officials said, including 172,000 who remained in emergency shelters as Yinxing blew across the country's mountainous north.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. decided not to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru next week to focus on recovery efforts, Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez said.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and caused ships to run aground and smash into houses in the central Philippines. The archipelago also lies in a region often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

A resident passes by a damaged house after Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, blew past Aparri town, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Noel Celis)

Residents riding a tricycle pass by toppled electrical posts caused by Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, in Camalaniugan, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Friday Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Noel Celis)

A man tries to clear a tree in front of his house after it was toppled by strong winds from Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, in Gattaran, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Noel Celis)

A man tries to clear a tree trunk after it fell on the roof of his house after Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, blows past in Gattaran, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Friday Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Noel Celis)

Residents riding a tricycle pass by toppled electrical post caused by Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, in Camalaniugan, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Noel Celis)

In this photo provided by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Cagayan, debris from damaged roof caused by Typhoon Yinxing are scattered beside an establishment in Sanchez Mira, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Friday Nov. 8, 2024. (Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cagayan via AP)

In this photo provided by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Cagayan, soldiers and rescuers help clear an area from debris and toppled trees caused by Typhoon Yinxing in Sanchez Mira, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Friday Nov. 8, 2024. (Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cagayan via AP)

In this photo provided by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo, toppled trees caused by Typhoon Yinxing block a road in Lal-lo, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (LGU Lal-lo via AP)

In this photo provided by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo, a resident wades along flooded areas caused by Typhoon Yinxing in Lal-lo, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (LGU Lal-lo via AP)

In this photo provided by Philippine Coast Guard, its members stand outside their damaged building due to Typhoon Yinxing in Santa Ana, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Thursday Nov. 7, 2024. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lal-lo, workers clear a tree that fell due to strong winds from Typhoon Yinxing nin Lal-lo, Cagayan province, northern Philippines Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (LGU Lal-lo via AP)

Typhoon floods villages, rips off roofs and damages 2 domestic airports in northern Philippines

Typhoon floods villages, rips off roofs and damages 2 domestic airports in northern Philippines

In this handout provided by the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Lal-Lo, workers clear a road from a tree that fell due to strong winds from Typhoon Yinxing, locally called Marce, in Lal-lo, Cagayan province, northern Philippines on Thursday Nov. 7, 2024. (LGU Lal-lo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)