Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida plainly stated that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, in an apparent change in strategy that may put him at odds with much of the Republican base.

“Of course he lost,” DeSantis said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday. “Joe Biden’s the president.”

DeSantis, who is polling well behind Trump, for years has dodged questions about whether he believed the election was stolen. During the 2022 midterms, he campaigned for election deniers.

The governor’s blunt stance may be a sign that Trump’s legal problems have sent his Republican competitors looking for some way to take advantage. While none of them are openly attacking Trump, they are trying to press on his weaknesses — acknowledging reality and defying the denial espoused by him and many Republicans.

Abortion is driving a pivotal election in Ohio

Ohio’s Republican-controlled Legislature is trying to change the way the state’s constitution can be amended, raising the bar from a simple majority to 60 percent of the vote.

The reason is no secret. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, voters across the country, in multiple elections, have approved ballot measures protecting the right to abortion. A similar election has been scheduled for November in Ohio, and legislators are hoping a higher threshold for passing amendments will lead to the ballot measure’s defeat.

Once the quintessential swing state, Ohio is now an exemplar of a nationwide phenomenon: legislatures controlled by one party, almost invariably Republican, changing the rules of the democratic process to extend their control even further.

How the counteroffensive is going

Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began this summer, suffered heavy losses early on and is struggling to advance against the formidable Russian defenses. Journalists from The Times spent two weeks with Ukrainian troops from brigades trained and supplied by NATO to get their perspective.

Some soldiers blamed commanders for the heavy losses, saying they pushed raw recruits into battle. A few complained that some Western vehicles were inappropriate for the mission. Others criticized the inadequacy of a few weeks of basic training in various NATO countries.

“They fought in Afghanistan and Iraq,” one battalion commander said of his trainers in the U.S., “and the enemy there is not like the Russians.”

The secret hand behind Cuomo’s defenders? His sister.

After a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York sued him last year over sexual harassment claims, groups made up of mostly women came to the governor’s defense. Members swarmed his critics on social media, sold Cuomo swag and pushed for due process.

While the work seemed organic, a trove of text messages and emails obtained by The New York Times shows that for nearly two years, Madeline Cuomo, the governor’s sister, worked secretly with activists in the groups to help smear her brother’s accusers.

‘Barbie’ reaches $1 billion

In the history of Hollywood, very few people — 28 to be precise, all men — have had the sole directing credit on a billion-dollar movie. Until now.

“Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, finished the weekend with more than $1 billion in ticket sales at the global box office. No movie in Warner Bros.’ 100-year history has sold so many tickets so fast. “Barbie” is disproving a stubborn Hollywood myth: that “girl” movies — films made by women, starring women and aimed at women — are limited in their appeal.

In China, the movie has been a sleeper hit, as female moviegoers celebrate a film that addresses women’s rights head-on.

Wellness trends to watch

Now that summer has slouched into August, here’s a roundup of the health and wellness trends that keep popping up in 2023.

Among those is Ozempic, part of a new class of medications that can induce staggering weight loss. A pill version is on the horizon. The billion-dollar supplement industry also has something to sell you: One plant or another seems to go viral every few weeks.

Meet a very devious fish

Trumpetfish use a number of tricks to catch prey, but one of their most effective tactics is similar to an old trick used by humans, according to new research published today.

Human hunters have historically used horses or cattle to mask their approach when hunting birds. Trumpetfish do the same thing with bigger fish that aren’t predators: They swim along, hiding behind the larger fish until they’re close enough to grab a meal.