NBC’s billion-dollar ad extravaganza, the Olympics, will begin in 100 days. Yesterday, actors in Greece paid homage to ancient history and lit the torch that’s now on its way to Paris.

With the official symbol of the Games up in flames, here are some of the most intriguing headlines already swirling around Paris 2024.

New commentators enter the chat: The president of NBC Olympics Production said the Opening Ceremony will be “more like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” than a solemn procession.

• Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will co-host alongside NBC Sports reporter Mike Tirico.
• Alex Cooper, the famous voice behind the Call Her Daddy podcast, will throw live viewing parties on Peacock.
• And for his outstanding service to journalism covering Horse Crip Walking during Tokyo 2020, Snoop Dogg is being rewarded: He will be on the ground doing prime-time coverage for NBC and has already promised that Paris 2024 will be “the most epic Olympics ever.”

The next dream team: Is there a TV program Caitlin Clark can’t boost ratings for? To be determined. The former Iowa star recently snapped up by the WNBA is under consideration for Team USA and could bring some star power to the broadcast.

Cash for your medal: Track and field will become the first sport to put up prize money at the Olympics. The governing body of those disciplines, World Athletics, announced a $50,000 prize for all gold medalists in events under its jurisdiction.

Apparel problems: The bikini-cut leotard Nike unveiled for women athletes drew accusations of sexism, but Nike insists athletes will have the choice of 50 garments. A spokesperson for the sportswear company blamed the bad reveal on being “a few months from the Games and working with limited samples.”

Looking ahead…Paris’s cybersecurity official expects to thwart at least 3.6 billion attempts to hack into the Games’ digital infrastructure.—HVL

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SCOTUS appears poised to toss obstruction charges against Jan. 6 rioters. During oral arguments yesterday, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed concerned that prosecutors overreached in charging people who participated in the 2021 attack at the Capitol with obstruction under Sarbanes-Oxley, a law enacted to address white-collar crime after Enron collapsed. If the court rules that the charge cannot stand, it would impact the ~350 people charged that way for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021—at least 100 of whom have already been convicted and sentenced, per CNN. It could also affect some legal claims against Donald Trump, who has been accused of the same crime.

Trump’s hush money trial has seven jurors. Although many more jurors were dismissed for being biased yesterday, on the second day of the trial over Donald Trump’s alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the court managed to swear in seven of the necessary 12 (six alternates will also be needed). Legal experts say it could take as long as two weeks to find enough New Yorkers to fill out the jury for the first criminal trial of a former US president, and yesterday’s selection included questions about prospective jurors’ social media posts.

Investment banking is so back (almost). All of the biggest banks have reported their first-quarter results, and their earnings have been as good as, if not better than, expected. Higher interest rates ate into the spoils—Bank of America reported yesterday that its profit dropped 18% compared to the same period last year—but investment banking arms did well, especially since many banks increased their fees, and dealmaking and IPOs started to pick up again. But despite perking up, investment banking activity is still below where it used to be. Strong consumer spending also helped banks out, with credit card income rising and people and businesses continuing to need loans.

Prepare yourself for a potential influx of lyric-based legal puns. The Department of Justice is planning to sue Live Nation as soon as next month, alleging that the entertainment company is abusing its power over ticketing, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The details of the impending antitrust lawsuit are unknown. But it will likely focus on Live Nation allegedly tying its promotion services to the ticketing services of Ticketmaster, according to Bloomberg.

Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 (much to the chagrin of musicians and indie promoters) and agreed at the time to the DOJ’s conditions aimed at protecting competition, including not forcing venues to use Ticketmaster to get Live Nation’s promotion. In 2019, the Justice Department revised its deal with the company to add an anti-retaliation clause after reports of Live Nation bullying venues into using Ticketmaster emerged. Ticketmaster now controls over 80% of the primary ticket sales market.

The head of corporate affairs at Live Nation, Dan Wall, defended the event behemoth last month, saying it is not a monopoly and that artists, not the companies, set ticket prices.

Big picture: The suit is about as shocking as a presidential candidate pretending to enjoy pie at a small-town Iowa diner, since the DOJ has reportedly been investigating Ticketmaster and Live Nation since even before the Eras Tour ticketing fiasco.—MM

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The unofficial embassy of Swedish living unveiled gaming decor this week that makes your home look like you’ve actually touched grass since the latest Legend of Zelda came out.

Ikea’s new 20-piece Brännboll furniture and accessory collection marries gaming with Nordic minimalism. Unlike the futuristic dark vibes of typical gamer furnishings, it mixes vibrant colors with neutral tones while prioritizing homeyness.

Starting in September, the joystick-wielding crowd can pick a new throne:

• An inflatable bagel-shaped floor seat with a footstool that can be stored inside of it.
• A swaying bungee chair that moves along with the player’s restless body.
• A cushioned chair that pulls out into a chaise lounge for leg support.

The options are meant to accommodate gamers’ peculiar posture and a preference for low seating. Brännboll also includes a rollable side table with a strap for storing a handheld console, a doored PC station that can hide away hardware once it’s game over, and a wall-mounted display for trinkets.

Some observers think Ikea’s gaming foray is mostly a marketing gimmick, as many of the items are similar to its standard products, but others are excited about how the new furniture will facilitate their gaming.

Zoom out: Ikea says it’s on a quest for the hearts of the world’s 3.3 billion gamers, many of whom need somewhere to sit.—SK

Quote: “So sad. An iconic building that means a lot to all of us, I think. Our own Notre-Dame moment.”

Yesterday, a fire engulfed Copenhagen’s 17th-century Old Stock Exchange, destroying its iconic dragon-tail spire. The building, which became headquarters for the Danish Chamber of Commerce, is a city landmark and a treasured piece of Denmark’s history, so much so that the nation’s defense minister likened its destruction to the fire that damaged Paris’s Notre Dame almost five years ago to the day. Although the historic building sustained serious damage before firefighters got the conflagration under control, many of the valuable paintings and antiques inside it were saved as emergency personnel and passersby rushed into the burning building to get them out. There are already plans to rebuild.

Stat: Planning a trip abroad? You’re going to need to get in line, and that line will probably be at the Dubai Airport. The latest ranking of the world’s busiest airports is out, and while Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International kept its No. 1 spot in 2023, Dubai moved up to No. 2 from No. 5 the year before. And for international travelers, Dubai actually takes the top slot. According to the head of the Airports Council International, which compiles the list, 87 million flyers went through the airport, a 31% jump from the year before, heading for 262 destinations in 104 countries. Globally, the number of airplane passengers grew by 27%.

Read: Why a $10 billion copper mine is sitting idle in the jungle. (Bloomberg)