The Latest: Trump says he fired Mattis, who left over Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the change atop the Defense Department (all times local):
2:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he fired Jim Mattis as defense secretary. But the retired Marine general actually resigned in protest over Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria.
Mattis announced on Dec. 20 that he was stepping down, but would stay on the job until the end of February. Three days later, Trump said he was replacing Mattis with the second-ranking defense official, P