As Donald Trump spoke to the press in his Rose Garden on Friday, a low hum could be heard from outside the White House grounds. The president said the sound was truckers “showing support” and insisted: “They love their president.” In fact, the noise, which grew to include the honking of airhorns, was a protest. According to a long-haul trucking industry website, the Trucker, the protest has been active for 15 days. The drivers involved say they have not received targeted support in any coronavirus stimulus package and do not have adequate access to protective equipment and healthcare. They have also voiced serious concerns about the rates they are getting through brokers who connect them with people needing to ship goods. UK researchers hope dogs can be trained to detect coronavirus Dogs are to be trained to try to sniff out the coronavirus before symptoms appear in humans, under trials launched with £500,000 of government funding. Dogs have already been successfully trained to detect the odour of certain cancers, malaria and Parkinson’s disease, and a new study will look at whether labradors and cocker spaniels can be trained to detect Covid-19 in people. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will carry out the first phase of a trial in collaboration with Durham University and the charity Medical Detection Dogs. The initial stage of the research will see odour samples collected from coronavirus patients in London hospitals. Six specialist dogs will then undergo training to identify the virus from the samples. The number of deaths in the US is projected to exceed 100,000 by 1 June In case you missed it: The number of deaths in the US is projected to exceed 100,000 by 1 June, according to the CDC director Robert Redfield. The agency came to the conclusion after tracking 12 different forecasting models; all of which predicted at least that number of deaths.Trump has oscillated, but has previously said the toll would be lower. The US toll, the highest in the world, currently stands at 87,493. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Brazilian health minister resigns as record cases confirmed again Brazil’s health minister resigned Friday after less than a month on the job in a sign of continuing upheaval over how the nation should battle the coronavirus pandemic, quitting a day after President Jair Bolsonaro stepped up pressure on him to expand use of the antimalarial drug chloroquine in treating patients. Dr. Nelson Teich, an oncologist and health care consultant, took the job 17 April faced with the task of aligning the ministry’s actions with the presidents view that Brazil’s economy must not be destroyed by restrictions to control spread of the virus. Brazil confirmed 15,305 new cases on Friday; a record for a 24-hour period, as well as 824 related deaths, according to data from the country’s Health Ministry. Teich’s predecessor, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, also had rejected the use of chloroquine, which also had been touted by US President Donald Trump as a treatment. “Life is made up of choices and today I decided to leave,” Teich told journalists in capital Brasilia. He did not explain why he left the job and refused to answer questions. Officials say almost 15,000 people have died in Brazil from Covid-19, though some experts say the figure is significantly higher due to insufficient testing. The peak of the crisis has yet to hit Latin Americas largest nation, experts say. General Eduardo Pazuello, who had no health experience until he became the Health Ministry’s No 2 official in April, will be the interim minister until Bolsonaro chooses a replacement. Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. I’m Helen Sullivan and I’ll be with you for the next few hours. As Brazil again sees a record daily increase in cases, the health minister has resigned, less than a month into the job. Dr. Nelson Teich quit a day after President Jair Bolsonaro stepped up pressure on him to expand use of the antimalarial drug chloroquine in treating patients. Meanwhile the director of the US Centers for Disease Control says deaths in the US are projected to exceed 100,000 by 1 June – just over two weeks’ time. The US toll currently stands at 87,427. Here are the main developments from the last few hours: Confirmed cases worldwide top 4.5m. According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, there are 4,531,811 confirmed cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives is 307,001 according to official tolls, but the true number is likely to be much higher. The number of deaths in the US is projected to exceed 100,000 by 1 June, according to the CDC director Robert Redfield. The agency came to the conclusion after tracking 12 different forecasting models; all of which predicted at least that number of deaths. Trump has oscillated, but has previously said the toll would be lower. Record increase in cases in Brazil. Brazil has confirmed 15,305 new cases; a record for a 24-hour period, as well as 824 related deaths, according to data from the country’s Health Ministry. Brazil has registered 218,223 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, as well as 14,817 deaths. Beijing increases pressure on European states to reject Taiwan’s WHO inclusion. China has stepped up the pressure on European states to reject Taiwan’s call to be represented at next week’s assembly of the World Health Organization, arguing that its presence can only be justified if it accepts that it is part of China.The World Health Assembly is being held virtually on Monday, and Taiwan’s attendance – as well as a possible international inquiry into the start of the pandemic – are likely to be the two big political flashpoints between China and the west. US president Donald Trump said on Friday the US government was working with other countries to develop a coronavirus vaccine at an accelerated pace. Trump expressed his hope that a vaccine would be in place before the end of the year at an event in the White House Rose Garden and said his administration would mobilise its forces to get a vaccine distributed once one was in place. UK’s reproduction rate still close to 1, bringing lockdown-easing steps into question. The latest official estimate places the national R value - the rate at which people are passing on infections to others – at between 0.7 and 1. An R value above 1 means the epidemic will start to grow exponentially again, which would result in a new surge of cases. Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, WHO warns. Dr Hans Kluge, director for the WHO European region, warned countries beginning to ease their lockdown restrictions that now is “time for preparation, not celebration”. Second health minister resigns in Brazil after less than a month on the job. Brazil’s health minister, Nelson Teich, handed in his resignation on Friday, his office said, after less than a month on the job as the country becomes a world hotspot for coronavirus. Teich is believed to have disagreed with the rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil has now surpassed Germany and France and had more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday. Spain hails large-scale antibody study as a key tool in the fight against the coronavirus. The Spanish government has hailed a large-scale antibody study as a key tool in the fight against the coronavirus, but warned that any premature or irresponsible relaxation of restrictions could have “enormous consequences” given that only 5% of Spaniards have had the disease. Denmark reports zero coronavirus-related deaths for the first time since March. The country reported zero coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours for the first time since 13 March