A groundbreaking experimental vaccine might provide a crucial defense against pancreatic cancer, especially for individuals with a genetic predisposition to the disease.

The innovative vaccine specifically targets the KRAS mutation, a genetic anomaly present in over 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases, affecting approximately 60,000 of the more than 67,000 Americans diagnosed annually.

This vaccine is designed to educate the immune system to detect and destroy cells harboring the KRAS mutation. The goal is to halt the disease in its tracks at the precancerous stage, preventing it from evolving into a more serious, invasive form.

In an initial trial involving 20 individuals at high risk, due to either a KRAS mutation or a significant family history of pancreatic cancer, the vaccine successfully stimulated immune responses in 90 percent of participants. Notably, none of these individuals developed the disease during the monitoring period.

This trial represents a pioneering effort in using a vaccine against KRAS gene mutations in people with an inherited likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest, with a five-year survival rate of just 13 percent. It is often diagnosed late because its early symptoms are vague and easily mistaken for other conditions, by which time the cancer has usually spread. 

In a trial of 20 high-risk patients, the vaccine triggered immune responses in 90 percent of participants. Over 16.5 months, none developed pancreatic cancer and some saw their precancerous cysts shrink. 

Pancreatic cancer rates have been steadily climbing over the past three decades. Since 1995, the overall incidence has risen by nearly 20 percent – from 10.6 to 11.9 per 100,000 people – with women seeing a sharper increase than men. 

The trial, published in the journal Cancer Discovery, enrolled 20 people considered at high risk for pancreatic cancer. Some had a strong family history of the disease, meaning multiple close relatives had been diagnosed.

Others carried a specific genetic mutation, such as BRCA2, that is known to increase risk. All of them had small cysts on their pancreas – the kind of growths that can sometimes turn into cancer over time.

The vaccine, called mKRAS-VAX, contains six lab-made peptides, or short chains of amino acids designed to resemble fragments of the mutant KRAS protein found in cancer cells. 

When injected, the immune system recognizes these peptides as foreign and learns to attack any cell carrying the KRAS mutation. 

The vaccine also includes an adjuvant called poly-ICLC, which helps boost the immune response.

Patients received five injections over several months: three initial priming doses, followed by a booster. 

The goal was to train the immune system to recognize the KRAS mutation and then reinforce that training to sustain the response.

To measure whether the vaccine worked, researchers took blood samples before and after vaccination. 

They looked for T cells, a type of white blood cell that fights disease, that could specifically recognize the KRAS mutation. A strong increase in these T cells was considered a successful immune response. 

They also compared MRI scans taken before and after vaccination to see if any cysts had shrunk or disappeared and tracked whether any patients developed pancreatic cancer during follow-up.

In 18 out of 20 patients, the immune system produced T-cells specifically trained to recognize and attack cells carrying the KRAS mutation. This was not a fleeting effect. In many patients, the response persisted for up to two years.

The vaccine also appeared to affect pancreatic cysts. Among 16 patients whose cysts could be evaluated, three saw their cysts disappear entirely. 

Three others had partial shrinkage and the rest remained stable. 

When researchers compared the vaccinated group to a similar group of unvaccinated patients, they found that 37.5 percent of vaccinated patients saw their cysts shrink or resolve compared to just 6.8 percent of those who did not receive the vaccine.

Over a median follow-up of 16.5 months, none of the vaccinated patients developed pancreatic cancer.

The vaccine also proved to be safe. None of the 20 patients experienced serious side effects.

The most common reactions were mild, including injection site pain, fatigue, chills and flu-like symptoms, and all resolved on their own. 

Currently, high-risk patients undergo routine imaging to monitor for suspicious growths, but these scans often detect only a fraction of the precursor lesions that can turn into cancer – and when worrisome cysts are found, surgery can carry serious risks.

The vaccine offers a different approach. Instead of waiting for cancer to appear and then treating it, the goal is to intercept it early using the body’s own immune system to keep precancerous cells in check.

If larger studies confirm these early findings, the vaccine could one day offer a simple, non-invasive way to protect people at the highest risk, offering the chance to stop pancreatic cancer before it starts.

The results are still preliminary. This was a small study, and larger trials will be needed to confirm whether the vaccine truly prevents cancer. 

But the findings offer promising proof that a vaccine can train the immune system to recognize and potentially intercept pancreatic cancer in people at the highest risk.

After nearly forty years of enduring a painful wait, the execution of James Duckett has finally allowed two grieving families to find a measure of closure, as they suspect the former police officer was responsible for the brutal deaths of their young daughters.

Duckett, aged 68 at the time of his death, met his fate through lethal injection on July 28. His execution came as a result of his conviction for the rape and murder of Teresa McAbee, crimes he committed while serving as an officer with the Mascotte Police Department.

The execution took place at Florida State Prison in Raiford, where members of McAbee’s family were present to witness the conclusion of a decades-long ordeal.

In support of McAbee’s family, relatives and close friends of Jeanifer Weldon also gathered. Authorities have long believed Duckett was responsible for Weldon’s death, occurring merely four months after McAbee’s, highlighting a series of chilling crimes attributed to the same perpetrator.

But law enforcement officials stopped pursuing a conviction out of fear it would prolong his life, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news conference.

It had been decided that piecing together evidence on the case could “jam up” the process or “create more defense, or more arguments, or more excuses why he shouldn’t be executed,” Judd told reporters on July 30.

So once Duckett was sentenced to die for McAbee’s murder, authorities stopped pushing to secure a conviction for the killing of Weldon, Judd said.

Two lives lost

McAbee went missing in May 1987. She was last seen with Duckett in his patrol car on an evening when he was the only officer working the streets.

When her body was found, evidence showed she’d been sexually assaulted, strangled and drowned, according to court records.

A month later, Duckett was named a suspect and was fired from his job as a cop. Very strong fingerprint and DNA evidence linked Duckett to the case, Judd said.

Then three months later, another girl went missing in Central Florida.

Weldon disappeared on Sept. 19, 1987, in Polk County, about an hour south of the town where Duckett had worked as a police officer.

It was three days before her 15th birthday.

She’d spent the Saturday with friends on a trip to town to Tampa, where she’d bought a fluffy kitten to add to the stuffed animal collection in her bedroom, Judd said.

Around 9 p.m., she left her friends to walk about two miles home, carrying her new stuffed kitten in a green plastic bag, Judd said. She never made it home.

For “13 frantic days, we looked for Jeanifer to no avail,” Judd told reporters almost 39 years later. There were few leads, until a phosphate miner pulled over to investigate a pair of shoes he spotted on the side of the road in Fort Meade. It had been about two weeks since Weldon had disappeared.

When he got out of his car, he was hit with the pungent smell of a decomposing body, Judd said.

Weldon’s “skeletonized” remains were found behind tall grass and a berm in a wooded area away from the road, Judd said.

Duckett eventually became a suspect in that killing, too.

Investigators believed Duckett had used his old law enforcement uniform to convince Weldon he could provide a safe ride home.

Family members and investigators felt Weldon wouldn’t have gotten in a car with Duckett without that reassurance and confidence that he was a police officer and someone she could trust, Judd said.

She died by strangulation, he said.

Investigators suspect she was raped before her death.

A heartbreaking clue

A month after Weldon’s death, Duckett was arrested for the killing and sexual battery of McAbee.

He quickly became a suspect in Weldon’s killing, too. But the evidence wasn’t as strong, and was more circumstantial, Judd said.

The night Weldon disappeared, Duckett had left for work at his new mining job five hours early. He drove down the highway “exactly past where Jeanifer Weldon would have been walking home,” Judd said.

He arrived at work sweaty and two hours late, saying that he’d had car trouble. But investigators learned that his hands weren’t “greasy or nasty or dirty,” Judd said. The next day, Duckett brought home a gift for his children—a stuffed kitten in a green plastic bag.

It matched the one purchased by Weldon.

There also were “fingernail marks or scratches on his back,” Judd said. When his wife asked him about the marks, he told her, “I was climbing under a barbed wire fence at work,” Judd said. Polk County investigators spent tens of thousands of hours working to pursue a conviction in the Weldon case, Judd said.

Then a few years ago, after Duckett was convicted of McAbee’s murder and had received the death sentence, they questioned whether they should continue pursuing it, he said.

They continued to “chip away” at finding DNA evidence, Judd said. And they hoped Duckett would confess during one of his interviews before his execution.

He declined to talk.

Though he was never convicted of her killing, Duckett’s execution still brought some sense of closure to Weldon’s still-grieving family.

“I’m confident the right person was executed,” said Amy Weldon, Jeanifer Weldon’s younger sister. “I don’t like how long it took, but I am confident 100% that the right person died.”

Judd was less satisfied with the execution of the former cop.

“The problem is we didn’t put him to death soon enough,” Judd said. “You know, it’s never too soon to kill a psychopathic, child predator … It’s never too soon.”

For 38 years, Duckett was given multiple appeals.

“He just didn’t pay soon enough, but he did pay,” Judd said.

Judd also suggested that controversial surveillance cameras on roadways might have prevented Weldon’s death.

“Today, we may have found him before he ever got a chance to rape and murder her,” he said. “We would have found him within hours.”

Addressing the debate over the cameras, Judd railed, “Yet there’s some nut jobs that don’t think we should be able to look at a camera that’s on a public right of way, only looking at a tag and the color of a car.

“We’re going to find lost children, lost Alzheimer’s patients, warrant suspects, and we’re never going to invade your privacy to do it.”

Next week’s primary elections in Florida will prove pivotal as the state decides its political future. Voters are tasked with selecting nominees to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is stepping down due to term limits. Additionally, the ballot includes a close watch on a tarnished congressman’s bid for re-election and a rising socialist challenger aiming to dethrone a centrist Democratic incumbent.

The August 18 contests mark a significant shift, being the first following the adoption of Florida’s newly redrawn congressional maps. Political experts predict these will likely boost Republican chances in four key House districts as the crucial November midterm elections approach.

Here are the key races garnering attention:

Four districts where redistricting boosted Republicans

• Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, held by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), who has opted to run in the 23rd District Democratic primary. Trump has not endorsed in the GOP race. The leading GOP candidates include university administrator  Belinda Keiser, businessman Casey Askar and entrepreneur Michael Carbonara.

• Florida’s 25th Congressional District, held by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who has opted to run in the vacant 20th District Democratic primary. Trump has not endorsed a Republican. Businessman Dan Franzese, former state Rep. George Moraitis, and former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer are the top contenders for their party’s nomination. 

Incumbent Dem faces Hasan Piker-backed DSA challenger 

The Democratic primary in the newly drawn 25th Congressional District will see centrist Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) face off against insurgent socialist candidate Oliver Larkin. 

Larkin, 33, proudly touts endorsements from far-left streamer Hasan Piker and controversial kids YouTuber Ms. Rachel on his campaign website, along with his active membership with the Broward County Democratic Socialists of America. 

A former organizer with the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Larkin has expressed support for abolishing the Senate and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza and many other far-left policy positions. 

Moskowitz, who has served in the House since 2023, is a staunch supporter of Israel and is backed by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). 

The incumbent is polling ahead of Larkin, and has the fundraising advantage, heading into primary night. 

Longtime Democratic rep faces primary challenge from indicted former congresswoman and rapper 

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a member of Congress since 2005, is running in the black-majority 20th Congressional District this year and facing a slew of challengers. 

Among them is former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who resigned from the House earlier this year after federal prosecutors indicted her on 15 counts related to her alleged use of $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds on her political campaigns and luxury goods, including a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring.

Cherfilus-McCormick is slated to go to trial in February and faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted of all charges. 

Wasserman Schultz is also facing a challenge from Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, the rapper behind the 1980s hip hop group 2 Live Crew. 

Polling is all over the place in the 20th District race, with some surveys showing Campbell with a 24 point lead and others putting Wasserman Schultz ahead by 18 points. 

Trump-backed Republican fights to hold on amid scandals 

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) is fighting to hold onto his 7th Congressional District seat amid allegations of domestic assault and “stolen valor” and reports he is under investigation by the Justice Department. 

Mills, who is currently being probed by the House Ethics Committee over “serious and complex” accusations, is being challenged by several Republicans, including former Orlando news anchor Ryan Elijah. 

Elijah has racked up dozens of endorsements in recent weeks, including from Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.). 

Mills, who vehemently denies any wrongdoing, has been endorsed by Trump three times and received a warm reception at a recent GOP debate in the district. 

Polls predict landslide win for Byron Donalds in race to replace DeSantis 

Eleven GOP candidates, including Rep. Byron Donalds, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins , former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and businessman James Fishback, are vying for the Sunshine State’s GOP nomination in the governor’s race. 

Donalds, a member of Congress since 2021, leads the field by 34 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. 

Donalds, who has Trump’s endorsement, has raised more than $100 million for his campaign and committees backing his bid. 

If elected in November, he would become Florida’s first black governor.

On the Democratic side, former Republican Rep. David Jolly is the favorite to make it out of the primary. 

Jolly served a term-and-a-half in the House between 2014 and 2017 before becoming a cable news pundit. 

In 2018, Jolly left the Republican Party to become an independent. In 2022,  he joined Andrew Yang’s Forward Party. Finally, in 2025 he registered as a Democrat to run for governor in the Sunshine State. 

Florida’s last Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist, who lost in a landslide to DeSantis, was also a former Republican.

DeSantis has not made an endorsement in the race.

In a tragic turn of events, a prominent Cambridge University academic, embroiled in a plagiarism controversy, has been discovered dead.

Professor Jason Arday was found lifeless at a residence in London shortly after 3 p.m. last Friday.

This incident follows several turbulent weeks during which colleagues raised doubts about the originality of the 41-year-old scholar’s research.

The scrutiny had extended to reviewing his previous academic endeavors.

Amid growing inquiries from the academic community, media outlets, and broadcasters, Professor Arday stepped down from his esteemed position.

He had been Cambridge University’s youngest ever black professor, having been appointed a professor of sociology of education in March 2023.

But after a succession of questions about his past achievements, he quit on August 5.

Cambridge University announced it had ‘begun an investigation following new information about Mr Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments’. Jesus College, where he was a fellow, also launched an investigation.

When Professor Arday resigned from his professorship and his fellowship, he said that this should not be ‘mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me’. He cited the ‘personal cost’ of the furore which he said had been ‘too great’. He also cancelled a series of events to promote his new memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, which was released in the US this week.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: ‘Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 3.12pm on Friday, August 14, following a report that a man had been found unresponsive inside a property.

‘Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

‘At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.’

The statement added: ‘The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.’

In a statement, University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said: ‘We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.’

Professor Arday, a married father-of-two, seemingly had the world at his feet in 2023 when he was appointed Cambridge University’s youngest ever black professor, with the appointment celebrated by the world’s media in which he was the subject of glowing profiles.

His rise was meteoric, given the childhood he described.

Diagnosed with autism and global developmental delay, Professor Arday said he could not speak until he was 11 and could not read or write until he was 18.

In recent weeks, doubts were cast on his claims but the then-professor denied the accusations against him and disputed claims made about his past.

Many of the claims were connected to Professor Arday’s work for good causes during which he said he had raised £5million for charity through long distance running.

When he quit, Professor Arday said it was ‘with profound sadness’. He said his appointment had been ‘without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life’, adding: ‘To become the youngest Black professor in the University’s history was something I could scarcely have imagined as a child growing up with a diagnosis of autism, unable to speak until I was 11 years old.’

After days of questions from all quarters, he said: ‘There comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great. I have a family. I want to be present for them. I want to reclaim some peace, some privacy and some semblance of an ordinary life. I no longer wish to feel as though I am living under a constant spotlight, where every aspect of my life is subject to public examination and judgment.

‘For my own wellbeing, for my family, and for those who have stood by me throughout this difficult period, I have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away.’

Professor Arday said: ‘This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.’

Amid the mounting questions over the truth, Cambridge University announced an inquiry. This week the university’s vice-chancellor said she understood the concerns raised by the appointment and shared them too.

In a letter to staff, Professor Deborah Prentice acknowledged the ‘anger and anxiety around this damaging and difficult case’.

The university head also announced Cambridge’s investigation would be independent and carried out by senior academics from within and beyond Cambridge and will begin ‘as soon as possible’.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has voiced strong opposition to past allegations accusing Israel of purposefully starving the population of Gaza. He argued that recent data showing a notable decrease in child malnutrition in Gaza effectively counters these wartime accusations. The ambassador described such claims as a “blood libel” propagated by figures linked to Hamas.

Danon’s comments coincide with the release of a U.N.-backed survey revealing that severe malnutrition among young children in Gaza has significantly declined. The current figures indicate a situation that is on par with, or even better than, the conditions before the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted.

“Throughout the Gaza conflict, numerous countries and several U.N. officials accused Israel of intentionally starving Gaza’s residents,” Danon remarked to News Media. “Such allegations were nothing short of a blood libel. When we sought evidence for these claims, we discovered that they were primarily based on reports from Hamas.”

Danon further contended that the latest U.N.-backed data discredits the earlier accounts of starvation. He claimed that the previous statistics, often linked to Hamas, were fabricated.

“For the future, we shouldn’t count on a terrorist organization. We are a reliable country, we share data, we share concerns regarding humanitarian issues, and we should not collaborate with terrorists,” he said.

The Gaza SMART nutrition survey — coordinated by the UNICEF-led Nutrition Cluster and presented by the State of Palestine Nutrition Cluster on July 22, 2026 — evaluated 1,335 children under age 5, covering regions home to approximately 83% of Gaza’s population.

About 17% of the population could not be surveyed due to security and operational constraints.

The survey found acute malnutrition rates between 0.2% and 0.8% using weight-for-height (WHZ) measurements (estimated globally at 0.5%) and 1.3% using mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC).

Evaluators concluded there was “no widespread acute malnutrition at population level,” noting that rates are significantly lower than those in neighboring countries, though lingering challenges like stunting, poor diet diversity and illness remain.

Danon pointed directly to past statements made by senior international officials, including U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher.

During a 2025 BBC interview about border access, Fletcher said 14,000 babies were at risk of dying within 48 hours without immediate nutritional aid. The figure was later clarified as referring to an 11-month projection involving children at risk of severe malnutrition.

“That was false and did not happen. Using starvation and babies to spread blood libels against Israel is outrageous,” Danon said of Fletcher’s comments.

“We care about babies in Gaza more than those making these allegations against us.”

The ambassador emphasized that Israel kept records of food supplies moving into the enclave throughout the conflict.

“In terms of the food coming into Gaza, that was very easy for us to prove because we control the checkpoints and count the number of trucks coming in,” Danon explained.

“We know what they carry. Thus, we know there is no lack of food entering Gaza, and we always ensure sufficient supplies are brought in. Looking at recent reports, the situation is much better than expected, and we are glad for that. We do not want to see famine anywhere in the world, and certainly not in our backyard.”

Danon also accused Hamas of hijacking aid distribution networks for financial gain.

“We know for a fact that Hamas took the aid and sold it in the market, taking advantage of the situation with inflated prices,” he said. “That is why we are trying to work with NGOs that are not infiltrated by Hamas. We want NGOs to be able to deliver aid and food without Hamas gaining control over it.”

Israel withdrew its military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

The war broke out following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on southern Israel and continued for two years until a ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Now, the region continues to face military strikes as talks over a proposed 15-point U.S. peace and disarmament plan appear stalled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the proposal, saying Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed.

“Unfortunately, Hamas took over and turned it into a terror state,” Danon said.

“Our vision remains unchanged: we have no desire to control Gaza. However, for progress to occur, Hamas must disarm and not move weapons from one warehouse to another.”

“Regarding the food situation, we see improvement on the ground,” Danon concluded. “The prices in the markets in Gaza have gone down dramatically, which serves as the clearest indicator that there is no food shortage.”

In a controversial move, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signaled his intent to withdraw state funding from two prominent Texas airports, citing their provisions for Islamic religious accommodations. This decision has already influenced officials at one major airport, leading them to abandon plans for a Muslim foot-washing station.

Governor Abbott declared on Friday that state authorities would commence a thorough evaluation of grants at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This scrutiny could result in the cancellation of existing funds and block any future financial support.

Moreover, Abbott has escalated the matter by referring both airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, urging a formal investigation.

“Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others,” the Governor, a Republican, asserted in a post on social media platform X, announcing the funding review process.

Targeting specifically a proposal at Dallas-Fort Worth to install ablution facilities—used by Muslims for cleansing rituals prior to prayer—Abbott labeled the initiative as “illegal.”

‘Texas will not allow illegal religious discrimination at taxpayer-funded facilities,’ Abbott declared.

The governor, who has renewed calls for lawmakers to ban Sharia law in the state, made similar arguments in his letter to North Texas Airport’s CEO Christopher McLaughlin.

He argued that the ablution facilities ‘appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion,’ noting that the wash station at George Bush Intercontinental Airport connects to a prayer room that includes copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turban.

‘I am unaware of either airport installing standalone facilities to meet the particular needs of the many other religious groups represented across Texas,’ he noted. 

‘Both the federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination,’ Abbott continued. ‘Just as the government cannot favor the secular over the sacred, it also cannot favor one religious view over all others.’

He also noted that the airports are owned by the government.

‘It was unlawful to use city-owned property to publicly advertise a Muslim-only event at a waterpark,’ Abbott wrote, referring to a canceled plan in the city of Grand Prairie to host an Eid Al-Adha event at a city-owned waterpark.

‘It is also unlawful to use city-owned property to publicly advertise a Muslim-only washing station,’ he added, noting that recipients of state grants must certify compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination.

In a separate letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Abbott asked the DOT and the FAA to ‘take appropriate corrective action.’

‘I look forward to working with you to ensure that these airports conform their facilities to constitutional requirements,’ the governor wrote.

But just hours after receiving the letter, officials at Dallas-Fort Worth announced they were scrapping their plan to install an ablution facility at Terminal D.

‘DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations on the pre-security side of Terminal D, the international terminal,’ a spokesperson for the airport told Fox News.

‘Like all proposed projects, the airport ultimately considers the operational benefits, customer service impacts, operation of risks and costs before approving them,’ the spokesperson said.

‘While that evaluation was planned, the airport accelerated its review due to elevated public interest this week and has determined not to proceed with the project as it would not deliver the originally anticipated operational benefits.’

The project had been officially registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on July 31.

The filing initially listed the project as being privately-funded, estimated its cost at $300,000 and indicated construction on the facility would be completed by the end of the year.

But airport officials have since claimed those details were the result of administrative errors by the airport’s outside design firm, as they stressed that the project had not received a final approval.

‘While the estimate noted was $300,000, that was a preliminary high estimate, and we expect the project, if it were approved to proceed, would cost closer to $120,000,’ a spokesperson previously told Fox.

They then went on to claim that the design firm mistakenly selected ‘private funding’ when submitting the regulatory filing.

‘That was an error and it should have indicated that airport funds would be used to pay for the work like all our projects,’ the spokesperson said, noting that the airport does not use taxpayer dollars for airport operations – and instead relies on revenue streams, including parking and concessions.

Under the proposal for the washing stations at Dallas-Fort Worth, airport officials would provide a dedicated space in the public airport bathrooms for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer, an Islamic tradition known as Wudu. 

The project was also intended to prevent airport passengers from using regular sinks for the same purpose, which had led to complaints of unhygienic conditions and water on the floor. 

George Bush Intercontinental Airport has had an ablution facility since 2024, when airport officials said ‘the calming and welcoming prayer room provides another option for passengers of all faiths and beliefs.’

Washing facilities and interfaith spaces also exist at other major US airports, including Chicago O’Hare.

The Daily Mail has reached out to officials at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the Houston Airport System and the DOT for comment.