Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) extended an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to meet with President Trump in the Oval Office last month, The New Yorker reports.

Trump reportedly granted Paul the leeway to make the offer, but Zarif, who was reportedly concerned the meeting would be little more than a photo opportunity, was unable to attend after running it by his superiors in Tehran, who apparently agreed with his reservations.

American and Iranian forces said that during an hour-long meeting with Paul, Zarif outlined some ideas about how to end the tensions between Tehran and Washington that have been growing since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact last year. Among the ideas brought forth was the prospect of codifying into law a fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding the production or use of a nuclear weapon that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued twice in the past, once in 2003 and again in 2010.

Zarif also reportedly suggested that Iran would stick to the 2015 agreement's guidelines in exchange for the removal of U.S. sanctions. If that was the case, he reportedly told Paul that Tehran could expedite the ratification of an international protocol later this year that would allow intrusive international inspections of nuclear sites in perpetuity.

But Paul was ultimately rebuffed when he pitched the idea of Zarif running these options by Trump in person. Read more at The New Yorker. Tim O'Donnell

The California Department of General Services announced late Friday that the state will only purchase hybrids and electric cars and trucks, with an exception for some public safety vehicles. In the statement, the department also said California will only buy state vehicles from companies that "recognize the California Air Resources Board (CARB)'s authority to set greenhouse gas and zero emission vehicle standards."

Essentially, The New York Times reported Monday, California announced it won't buy state vehicles from GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, and some smaller automakers that sided with the Trump administration last month in its fight to strip California of its right to set its own tailpipe emission standards. Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and BMW of North America reached agreement with California over the summer to make more fuel-efficient vehicles through 2025.

"Carmakers that have chosen to be on the wrong side of history will be on the losing end of California's buying power," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement. GM told the Times that California is undermining its own "goal of minimizing the state government's carbon footprint" by refusing to buy "vehicles like the Chevy Bolt." California seems to think it has enough other hybrid and electric vehicles to choose from. Peter Weber

Stephen Colbert recapped where things stand with President Trump's impeachment at the start of Monday's Late Show. "For those just joining us, it looks like Donald Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to try to pressure that country into announcing a bogus investigation of Joe Biden, and I'm happy to say, people understand that simple story. In a new poll, 70 percent of Americans say Trump's actions tied to Ukraine were wrong."

This week's impeachment hearings are expected to peak with Wednesday's testimony of Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union. "Sondland is in deep," Colbert said, but his biggest "slip-up was when he called Donald Trump from a public restaurant in Kyiv, where several witnesses at the table heard Trump over the phone demanding an investigation of Biden. That's a direct link." Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch also testified she "was ousted after a smear campaign involving Rudy Giuliani," he said. "And if there's one thing Rudy Giuliani knows, it's how to destroy a reputation — so far just his, but he burned that mother to the ground."

Trump and Giuliani knew Yovanovitch "would be an obstacle to their corrupt scheme," Seth Meyers said on Late Night, and "as she was testifying, Trump decided to attack her" on Twitter, potentially committing another impeachable crime. "That's like punching the bailiff during your assault trial," he joked. Meyers ran through the public evidence against Trump, suggested it's enough to impeach and convict him already, then said if "you still needed more evidence tying Trump directly to this scheme to extort a foreign country to investigate his political rivals by dangling hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money," Sondland's call with Trump should seal the deal.

"Trump talking investigations on the call with Sondland looks pretty bad," Trevor Noah agreed at The Daily Show. "What's even worse is that after the call — and this is crazy — after the call, Sondland recaps what just happened for everyone at the table." He laughed at Sondland's alleged assurance to Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "loves your ass," quipping, "A few days ago, Fox news was saying impeachment wasn't 'sexy' enough." He imagined Wednesday's hearings: "'Mr. Sondland, does Zelensky really love Trump's ass?' He'll be like, 'That's correct. He likes big butts and I cannot lie ... to Congress.'" Watch below. Peter Weber

When a San Diego police officer went to inspect a stolen car last month, he had no idea he was about to meet his new best friend.

Inside the abandoned car, Officer Andre Thomas discovered a scared yellow Labrador in the back seat. The dog reminded him of Melakai, his own yellow Lab who died in March. For more than 10 years, Thomas and Melakai were always together, and because they were so close, it was hard for Thomas to ever imagine getting another dog.

Per protocol, Thomas brought the dog to the Humane Society, but he couldn't stop thinking about him. After three weeks, the owners hadn't yet claimed him, so Thomas stepped up and filed the adoption paperwork. The two have become inseparable, and the pup is now known as Victor, "a name worthy of the adversities the dog has overcome," the San Diego Police Department said. Catherine Garcia

During his closed-door testimony to House impeachment investigators last week, David Holmes, a counselor in the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, said hearing U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland call President Trump from the middle of a Kyiv restaurant was "an extremely distinctive experience in my foreign service career."

The House released the Holmes transcript Monday night, and he is expected to attend a public impeachment hearing on Thursday. Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor first discussed the overheard Trump-Sondland call during his public testimony last week.

The call took place July 26, one day after Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and requested he launch investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a baseless conspiracy theory about Ukraine meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Holmes said Sondland placed the call to Trump through a switchboard, and he overheard Trump ask if the Ukrainians were going to "do the investigation." Sondland responded, "He's gonna do it."

Holmes testified that he was shocked by Sondland's brazenness. "I've never seen anything like this, someone calling the president from a mobile phone at a restaurant, and then having a conversation of this level of candor, colorful language," he said. "There's just so much about the call that was so remarkable that I remember it vividly." Holmes said most of the local mobile networks are "owned by Russian companies, or have significant stakes in those. We generally assume that mobile communications in Ukraine are being monitored."

Click here to read the entire transcript. Catherine Garcia

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) probably made some important points on Monday night's Hardball about President Trump's alleged bribery, high crimes, and/or misdemeanors through subverting U.S. law and government apparatuses in service of his personal political benefit. But nobody will remember his point because in the middle of his interview with Chris Matthews, this happened:

Did Swalwell really submit to a massive attack of flatulence on live national television that was so loud his lapel microphone picked it up? He says no.

Hardball briefly toyed with turning the entire kerfuffle into an audio version of he-who-smelt-it-dealt-it.

But cooler minds prevailed. Or something.

Luckily, as we all know, conspiracy theorists are often persuaded by plausible explanations. Peter Weber

Hoping to end speculation about President Trump's surprise weekend visit to Walter Reed Medical Center, the White House released a memo on Monday night written by Trump's physician, who said the "trip was kept off the record" due to "scheduling uncertainties."

On Saturday, Trump underwent a "routine, planned interim checkup as part of the regular, primary preventative care he receives throughout the year," Dr. Sean Conley said. Trump has "not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues," he continued. "Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations."

When a president or other notable person visits Walter Reed, staffers are usually notified ahead of time, people familiar with the matter told CNN, and this didn't happen on Saturday. Several doctors who treated former presidents and vice presidents said they found the unannounced hospital visit worrisome, including Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist who treated former Vice President Dick Cheney. "It's concerning that there hasn't been any transparency in what occurred on Saturday," he told CNN before the memo was released.

In the memo, Conley said next year, he will put together a report with a full summary of Trump's labs and exam. With the president's consent, Conley did share Trump's cholesterol numbers, which are down from earlier this year. Catherine Garcia