CNN 5 Things

Hey from CNN, I'm Ifeoma Dike with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, April 22nd.

For our country, for our children, and for the healthy American people, together we can make America healthy again.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is wrapping up a marathon of congressional hearings around the department's proposed budget for the next fiscal year. In an earlier hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, Democratic lawmakers challenged Kennedy's claim that Trump Rx, a plan that allows patients to buy medications directly from manufacturers with cash, has the world's lowest drug prices.

They got a better than one out of four chance of paying more at Trump RX than they would if they went to Costco. That's not much of a deal for the American people.

I don't brand drugs.

Oh, so your answer is Americans should just not take prescription drugs?

That's Senator Elizabeth Warren. Many Democrats grilled Kennedy across various hearings about measles outbreaks and his vaccine views. And so did Republican Senator Bill Cassidy.

Mr. Secretary, you have talked about restoring trust in the agency around the issue of immunization, and people lost trust during the pandemic. But I think it's safe to say the trust gap has worsened over the last year due to false statements about safety and efficacy of vaccines for preventable diseases like measles.

More news coming up, including the latest airline charging you more to fly.

'A fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was tested today ahead of a second round of direct talks tomorrow. The Israeli military says it intercepted a Hezbollah drone flying toward soldiers. Hezballah said it was targeting a military encampment. Lebanon state media says Israeli forces killed at least four people in parts of southern Lebanon. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. Lebanese state media also says Israeli forces wounded two journalists in southern Lebanon and temporarily prevented emergency workers from rescuing them. The Israeli military says the incident is under review and insists it's not preventing rescue teams from accessing the area. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt says President Donald Trump hasn't given Iran a, quote, firm timeline to come up with a proposal to get peace talks back on track after extending the ceasefire with Tehran and vowing to continue the blockade on Iranian ports.

The president's offering them a little bit of flexibility because we want to see a unified proposal to the president's very strong proposal and he's made his red lines very clear.

United Airlines says it could raise prices by as much as 20 percent this summer because they're on board sending jet fuel prices through the roof. CNN's Pete Muntean breaks it down.

Here is the new warning from United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby from today's earnings call that passengers are paying about 20% more per mile than they were flying about a year ago. And Kirby says, even if fuel prices fall, those higher fares are likely to stick. Around. Labor, still the biggest single cost for airlines, but remember jet fuel is number two and the price of jet fuel has roughly doubled since the start of the war with Iran, meaning airlines have no choice but to adjust. German carrier Lufthansa is cutting 20,000 flights through October, includes about 120 flights a day through May, and their goal is to save money as these fuel costs surge.

'Meanwhile, the European Union unveiled a list of proposed emergency measures to cushion its economy from soaring energy costs because of the Iran war, which the bloc says are to the tune of $28 billion and counting. The plans include establishing a group to identify potential jet fuel and diesel shortages and to coordinate sharing fuel or emergency stockpile releases by EU member states. And Spirit Airlines is close to getting a $500 million bailout from the federal government. That's according to a source familiar with the matter. The deal is expected to include the government taking a stake in the airline, which has struggled to make money ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gates Foundation is hiring an investigator to look into its potential ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Foundation's employees were informed in March and were told the review process will be completed in the summer. The firm didn't comment if the results of the investigation will be made public. Epstein files released by the Justice Department contained numerous emails between Gates and Epstein, showing them coordinating meetings and discussing Gates' philanthropic work. Gates has reportedly apologized to foundation staff for his ties to Epstein calling his relationship with him, quote, a huge mistake and has strongly denied the claims of personal wrongdoing, calling them, quote false.

Coming up, remembering a pioneering lawmaker whose career spanned decades in Congress.

'Congressman David Scott has died at 80 years old. The Georgia Democrat was first elected in 2002 and was running for a re-election to a 13th term. The congressman who was born on a farm in South Carolina also became the first African-American to chair the House Agriculture Committee in 2020. During his time serving the House, he helped secure fundings in a 2018 farm bill for agriculture scholarships for students attending historically black colleges and universities.

That's all for now. Join us again tomorrow morning.