What really seems to have been the final straw for Mattis was Trump's abuse of executive authority in Lafayette square and the militarizing of the domestic space. Mattis deeply values the historical relationship between society and the military and sees Trump as corrupting it.

— Richard Stengel (@stengel) June 3, 2020

In extraordinary criticism, former defense secretary Jim Mattis accuses President Trump of trying to divide Americans https://t.co/KDhdi7zf77

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 3, 2020

Says the man who snapped to attention when he was ordered to deploy troops to the southern border to deal with an "invasion" that he knew did not exist. https://t.co/zaG6W9OUXL

— Simon Marks (@SimonMarksFSN) June 3, 2020

Mattis, who has enormous wealth and power, will be praised for saying the bare minimum now. Is it better than continued silence? Sure.

But he'll be fine; there's no big risk. The real risks are being taken by activists in the streets. That's bravery. Not this shell of a soldier.

— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) June 3, 2020

Imagine being the NYT oped editor who got stuck running Tom Cotton’s rant … while @TheAtlantic has the honor of publishing James Mattis’s extraordinary J’accuse https://t.co/jJkO2su8T9

— Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) June 3, 2020

Breaking with President Trump, Defense Sec. Esper says he doesn't support using the military to quell protests triggered by the death of George Floyd. https://t.co/NUDJ0OHSbl

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 3, 2020

Senior WH official says Esper's remarks this morning were received "very poorly" at WH.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 3, 2020

After a WH meeting today, Esper overturned his decision to send 200 active-duty soldiers home after two days of more peaceful demonstrations in D.C.

The meeting and the abrupt reversal suggest Trump or his aides pressured Esper to keep troops in the areahttps://t.co/ushjkFCJTW

— POLITICO (@politico) June 3, 2020

🚨BREAKING🚨 VoteVets Calls on Esper to Resign. Full statement: https://t.co/V88Wbehp3M pic.twitter.com/UiJxbW7DQu

— VoteVets (@votevets) June 3, 2020

This memo from Gen. Milley is pretty interesting–I'd even say startling. pic.twitter.com/25Q5eyuspb

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 3, 2020

This 👇 pic.twitter.com/nNopEKJFhJ

— Miss Kitty (@mysisterdaisy) June 3, 2020

Ah, yes. Winston Churchill famously ordered his own citizens to be clubbed & gassed so he could be seen touring their bombed out homes for a campaign commercial. That guy really knew how to read the room! https://t.co/PlAH4v2qy3

— Sanho Tree (@SanhoTree) June 3, 2020

The entire Republican Party is complicit in the assault on Lafayette Square, @MaxBoot writes https://t.co/uBZonLnH12

— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) June 3, 2020

On a whim I decided to look up what the top news story was at this point (June 3 at 4:40 pm) exactly 4 years ago.https://t.co/bnWlbkxJE1 pic.twitter.com/9BD5ykbz7f

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 3, 2020

WATCH: Former President Barack Obama says, "there is something different" about protests today than in the 1960s. #MTPDaily

Obama: "There is a change in mindset that's taking place, a greater recognition, that we can do better." pic.twitter.com/niXUJMIdI7

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 3, 2020

Times like that, you find yourself hungering for the refreshing breeze of cool reason. Barack Obama always did have a sense of the moment. https://t.co/tiL52i6CUh

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) June 3, 2020

There are already super majorities in favor of broad, significant reforms specifically targeted to reduce unjust killings. https://t.co/TjhFUrFExx

— Conor Friedersdorf (@conor64) June 3, 2020

Thousands of people gather in Hyde Park in central London for a Black Lives Matter rally in solidarity with US protests against the death of unarmed African-American George Floydhttps://t.co/MIyUBSMbVs pic.twitter.com/itAuCqNYhl

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 3, 2020

Possibly the most striking images I have taken in my 8 years behind the lens. Absolute scenes here in Belfast, Northern Ireland as over 1000 protesters take to the streets for George Floyd #GeorgeFloyd #BLMBELFAST2020 @BelTel pic.twitter.com/YRHhwUKJ1X

— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) June 3, 2020

To use Johnson's own analogy, this is like the mugger urging the police to cooperate more by not arresting him. https://t.co/8VuREY1A7K

— Enough Of That Now (@AndyGilder) June 3, 2020

‘When it comes to excess deaths, Britain is currently a world leader.
Is that really something to be proud of’ @maitlis @esmewren @BBCNewsnight nailing it again with incisive fact based journalism #Covid19UK https://t.co/xEPUi0VtbO

— Professor Feargal Cochrane (@fecochrane1) June 3, 2020

It's like a series of gentle lobs by @BorisJohnson, being smashed back by @Keir_Starmer. This is brutal. #PMQs pic.twitter.com/PFUuXx2m9Y

— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) June 3, 2020

Does this mean now that everyone in attendance at House of Commons yesterday will now have to self isolate for 14 days per governments Track and Trace?

And is he sorted for childcare or will he have to drive wife and kids to Reading? @MattHancock? https://t.co/wlzyQaeUmB

— Tommy Maguire (@RationalPanic) June 3, 2020

We’ve reached the point in this pandemic when a hotelier does some maths & declares 1m the best indoor self distancing measurement and a rep from the travel industry declares quarantine useless.

— ruth allum (@mgtruth) June 3, 2020

359 deaths registered in the past 24 hours. This is the real story. https://t.co/t3rlOuXdVZ

— Andrea Catherwood (@acatherwoodnews) June 3, 2020

The UK is running out of critical medicines stockpiled in case of a no-deal Brexit.

The Covid pandemic has depleted the stockpile and fears are growing in government about whether it will be able to replenish it.

BIG scoop from @pmdfoster and @sarahnev https://t.co/Yj1OGkdYnh pic.twitter.com/x54dob3aMw

— Matthew Garrahan (@MattGarrahan) June 3, 2020

Spotted in Forestside today. Anything you want to say @DebShoes72 ??? pic.twitter.com/pVcBYQQnfp

— Áine (@Thelytokous) June 3, 2020

As someone who grew up in the shadow of the Tiananmen Square massacre all I can say is most citizens cannot fathom how far a government will go to defend its power until they are shooting their own people in the streets. pic.twitter.com/vkFygf7J1N

— TZE CHUN (@thetzechun) June 2, 2020

Opinion | Tiananmen, U.S.A

One inspiration for becoming an editorial cartoonist was watching the horror unfold on television back in 1989.
As the 31st anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre nears,I never dreamed I’d use this visual in my own country.https://t.co/aOOzYBJebT pic.twitter.com/rp6WTmTv91

— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) June 3, 2020

Just now in Alta, Norway: Huge mudslide dragging several houses into the sea. pic.twitter.com/xR4t5zLI7m

— Jan Fredrik Drabløs (@JanFredrikD) June 3, 2020