News roundup: Obama looks to NBA to promote ObamaCare

Obama looks to NBA to promote Obamacare. Impeachment steps begin for Swallow. Lee: Roberts was 'intimidated' to support health care law.

Happy Thursday. Could LeBron James become the new spokesman for Obamacare? The Obama administration is seeking a potential marketing partnership with the NBA to promote the Affordable Care Act in the hope that it will help to informed the confused public about the new coverage options. [Politico]

Topping the news: Step one toward impeachment. The Utah GOP met Wednesday and supported moving forward to investigate AG John Swallow. [Trib] [Fox13] [UtahPolicy] [DNews]

-> Swallow says he thinks the GOP caucus made the right decision and he is looking forward to answering their questions. [Fox13]

-> Sen. Mike Lee says in his new e-book that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was intimidated into voting to support Obamacare. [WaTimes]

Tweets of the day: From @JimDabakis: "Wait wait wait. Hell froze? Rep Ivory just called for state to back off and let Feds investigate Swallow."

From ‏@RobertGehrke: "Rep. Don Ipson quote of day: 'Half people wanted to impeach, half the people didn't want to & other half didn't know what they want.'"

Happy birthday: To state Sen. Stephen Urquhart and state Sen. Jerry Stevenson.

In other news: In a rare move, Peg McEntee praises the House Republicans for doing what's right for the public good. [Trib]

-> Despite the furor surrounding Swallow, state lawmakers do not support the idea of allowing voters to recall elected officials mid-term if they think they're not doing a good enough job. [Trib] [UtahPolicy]

-> Protesters at the "anti-corruption rally" at the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday called emphatically for Swallow's resignation because the public no longer has faith in him. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Officials from the Utah Department of Corrections deny that Marc Sessions Jenson, who has made allegations against Swallow and former AG Mark Shurtleff, has faced retaliation in prison. [Trib]

-> In an attempt to protect the rights of unwed fathers, a Utah lawmaker pushes for an electronic, confidential registry that they could use to make and search for paternity filings in adoption cases. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Sen. Mike Lee's amendment to the immigration reform bill, which would require Congress to vote on a border security plan before undocumented immigrants could seek a path to citizenship, was rejected in the Senate Wednesday. [Trib]

-> Lee co-sponsored an amendment to the defense funding bill that would allow more freedom to express religious beliefs in the Armed Services. [DNews]

-> Pat Bagley's guest cartoonist Jen Sorensen takes on the idea of buying a member of Congress. [Trib]

-> Top state dignitaries, including Gov. Gary Herbert, SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams and SLC Mayor Ralph Becker, turned out to kick off this summer's Clear the Air Challenge, which encourages citizens to drive less and help lower pollution. [Trib] [DNews]

-> SLC Mayor Ralph Becker vetoed the $8 million property tax hike less than 24 hours after the City Council passed it, but his veto is likely to be overridden. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]

-> Education advocates told a legislative committee that attempts to gain title to federal land through RS2477 is a waste of taxpayer money and could end up degrading the state's natural beauty. [Trib]

Nationally: In a speech at the historic Brandenburg Gate in Germany, President Barack Obama said that he plans to reduce America's nuclear arsenal by up to a third if Russia will agree to do the same. [WaPost] [Politico] [NYTimes]

-> Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced a plan to scale back the central bank's monetary stimulus as a reaction to declining unemployment rates and steady economic recovery. [NYTimes] [WaPost]

-> Despite a directive from the White House indicating that such rewards should not be issued this year, the IRS may end up paying $70 million in employee bonuses this year. [WaPost]

-> House GOP members say that even if a bipartisan immigration bill is passed in the Senate, there's no guarantee that the House will follow suit. [Politico]

-> A group of female senators will propose an amendment to the immigration bill that would attempt to even the playing field for men and women attempting to seek U.S. residency. [WaPost]

-> A roundup of the immigration amendments that were voted on in the Senate yesterday: [WaPost]

Where are they?

Rep. Rob Bishop talks with National Young Leaders Conference participants and meets with representatives from TTM Technologies.

Rep. Chris Stewart meets with officials from Boeing Salt Lake and talks to a representative from eBay.

SL Co. Mayor Ben McAdams attends a Utah Association of Counties board meeting, speaks at the Salt Lake County Economic Development Forum and meets with Deputy Mayor Nichole Dunn.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker discusses the new performing arts center, meets with SLC summer interns and talks with Yolanda Francisco-Nez from the Office of Diversity and Human Rights.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Isobel MarkhamTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/i_markham