What's happening in the political world:
Trump heads to Phoenix for campaign rally
-- Thousands of supporters and protesters are expected to greet President Trump as he visits Phoenix Tuesday for a "Make America Great Again" rally.
Ahead of the president's visit, many area businesses, schools and courts are closing early.
Trump is scheduled to visit a Marine Corps base along the U.S.-Mexico border before flying to Phoenix for his 7 p.m. rally at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The president will spend the night in Arizona before heading to Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday, where he will deliver a speech to the American Legion.
Arpaio says he hasn't been invited to Trump rally
-- The man who previously referred to himself as "America's toughest sheriff" told CNN that he won't be going to President Trump's rally in Phoenix Tuesday because he said he wasn't invited.
Former Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio told CNN that he would go if he had received an invitation.
Arpaio was found guilty last month of criminal contempt for disregarding a court order in a racial profiling case. However, last week, Trump appeared to hint that he may pardon Arpaio -- an early Trump supporter and a lightning rod for more than a decade in the immigration battle.
Trump retweeted a story from Fox News last week that reported he was "seriously considering" pardoning the convicted former sheriff.
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union criticized talk of a potential pardon, saying the president would be undoing a conviction secured by career attorneys at the Justice Department.
5,000 Trump-shaped ecstasy pills seized in Germany
-- President Trump's face seems to be everywhere these days.
German authorities confirmed that around 5,000 ecstasy tablets shaped like the head of the American president were confiscated during a vehicle search.
"During the search of the vehicle police found about 5,000 ecstasy tablets with the portrait of the American president ... the purchase value of the tablets amounts to approximately 11,000 euros (about $12,900); the sales value amounts to approximately 39,000 euros," authorities said in a statement.
Trump addresses nation about Afghanistan plans
-- President Trump outlined his Afghanistan strategy for the country during a speech in Virginia Monday night.
Trump becomes the third U.S. president to put his imprint on the 16-year war in Afghanistan, as he revealed his plans to shape the future of the American war effort and broader regional strategy.
Trump has previously expressed reservations about the seemingly endless U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan and questioned the objectives of staying there.
The president reached a decision on the future of the U.S. strategy after a final round of deliberations with his national security team at Camp David on last Friday.
Address to the Nation
Full Video & Transcript:https://t.co/FELdImTuUM pic.twitter.com/6ly3fNatiX— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2017
Trump administration halts coal study
-- The Trump administration has halted a study of the health effects of a common mining technique in Appalachia, which is believed to deposit waste containing toxic minerals in ground waters.
A letter from the Interior Department directed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to "cease all work" on a study of the potential health risks of mountaintop removal mining for people living near surface coal mine sites in central Appalachia. The Interior Department acknowledged in a statement that it had "put on hold" $1 million in funding for the two-year project as part of a review of its grants, which is focused on "responsibly using taxpayer dollars."
"The Trump Administration is dedicated to responsibly using taxpayer dollars and that includes the billions of dollars in grants that are doled out every year by the Department of the Interior," the statement said.
CNN contributed to this report
