As US president Donald Trump continues to fearmonger over Twitter about the hundreds of protesters who have occupied several city blocks in Seattle and dubbed them a police-free “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” Seattle’s mayor has responded that “Seattle is fine.” The autonomous zone “has both a protest and street fair vibe, with a small garden, medic station, smoking area, and a “No Cop Co-op”, where people can get supplies and food at no cost,” Hallie Golden reported for The Guardian yesterday. One activist said the takeover was reminiscent of the Occupy movement. Daily Beast reporter Kelly Weill also noted that claims that local businesses were being harmed by the takeover had been walked back, and that many local business owners were quite supportive of “CHAZ,” although one feared that it might distract attentionfrom the key demands of the Black Lives Matter movement. 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. Thousands of sheep to be sent to Middle East The ABC reports that thousands of sheep stranded in Western Australia after the crew of an export ship contracted coronavirus will finally be sent to the Middle East, despite a shipping ban. The federal department of agriculture this month refused to grant the export ship Al Kuwait an exemption to travel during the northern summer, to prevent sheep suffering from heat stress. But the ABC reports that the majority of the sheep can now travel on a different ship, which meets animal welfare requirements. It is understood that the ship will sail by Wednesday. It follows the Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, being forced to acknowledge last month that his state’s health department was notified of sick crew members on board the vessel before it docked in Fremantle. White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said his advice to people who want to attend US president Donald Trump’s campaign rallies is the same for Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump protestors. He said the gatherings are “a danger” and “risky.” He urged those attending wear a mask and use hand sanitiser. Fauci made the comments during an interview on ABC News podcast Powerhouse Politics. “You know, it’s a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration,” he said. “And it’s a danger to the people who are demonstrating. So at the end of the day, it is a risky procedure.” When asked whether his advice applied to Trump campaign rallies, Fauci said “I am consistent. I stick by what I say.” Trump announced his campaign rallies are planned for 19 June, known as Juneteenth in the US, a holiday marking the end of slavery. Trump has insisted he did not choose the date on purpose. “The fact that I’m having a rally on that day - you can really think about that very positively as a celebration,” Trump told Fox News. “Because a rally to me is a celebration. It’s an interesting date. It wasn’t done for that reason, but it’s an interesting date.” Good morning, and welcome to today’s live coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. As authorities in many countries are still struggling to contain the virus, protests are being held throughout the world following the brutal death of unarmed man George Floyd in the US on 25 May. A police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, ignoring Floyd’s protests of “I can’t breathe”. The event sparked organisers from the Black Lives Matter movement to organise protests, which have been occurring throughout the US, Australia and the UK. US president Donald Trump has since announced he will be holding an election campaign rally on 19 June, known in the US as Juneteenth, one of the oldest official celebrations commemorating the end of slavery. Attendees are being encouraged to sign a liability waiver to acknowledge that by attending, they are at risk of acquiring or spreading Covid-19. Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox news where Trump was asked to address the way chokeholds have been unfairly used by police against African Americans like George Floyd, Trump responded that: “I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent and so perfect”. He added, however that “generally” speaking, chokeholds should not be used. White house infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, Anthony Fauci, said that attending a protest is “risky”. Black Lives Matter advocates and refugee activists will hold protests throughout Australia on Saturday, despite warnings from health authorities they could lead to Covid-19 outbreaks. Australia’s chief medical officer, Prof Brendan Murphy, said on Friday, “These sort of events really are dangerous”. However the prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced on the same day that major sports stadiums may allow 10,000 people by July. Brazil’s death toll has overtaken the UK’s. There have been 41,828 deaths in Brazil, the country’s health ministry said, with only the US having more fatalities. The UK’s death toll is 41,566, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Breastfeeding mothers do not seem to be passing on Covid-19 to their infants, a World Health Organization expert has said. New mothers infected with the virus should generally continue breastfeeding if they wish to and should not be separated from their babies, the WHO said, stressing that the benefits outweighed the risks. Protests to occur throughout Australia Black Lives Matter advocates and refugee activists will hold protests throughout Australia on Saturday, despite warnings from health authorities they could lead to Covid-19 outbreaks. Australia’s chief medical officer, Prof Brendan Murphy, said on Friday, “These sort of events really are dangerous”. However the prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced on the same day that major sports stadiums may allow 10,000 people by July. It follows protests last weekend, when people took to the streets campaigning for an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody. There have been 437 known Aboriginal deaths since the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody delivered its final report in 1991, and yet despite this, change has been slow. The protests were sparked in solidarity with the US following the brutal death of unarmed man George Floyd on 25 May. One man was diagnosed with the virus following the Melbourne protests, with health authorities saying he was likely infected prior to the rally. Victoria police issued fines of $1652 each to the three people who organised the protest. On Saturday, refugee activists plan to hold eight rallies of 20 people each throughout Melbourne in order to comply with restrictions on crowd numbers. In Brisbane, supporters of detained asylum seekers have vowed to ramp up their blockade of a hotel. Protesters claim authorities are intent on relocating asylum seekers who’ve been in long-term detention at the Kangaroo Point Central hotel and have staged a series of balcony protests. Meanwhile about 200 refugee supporters will protest the indefinite detention of refugees in Sydney. And thousands of protesters will gather in Perth for Saturday’s protest at Langley Park. Organisers have ignored premier Mark McGowan’s pleas to delay the protest until after the coronavirus pandemic is over.