Republican 2024 race heats up as Trump rival Nikki Haley announces run – live

How do you know if someone might be running for president? When they head to Iowa. And that’s exactly where Mike Pence is going.

The former vice-president will be in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, where he’ll rally with the community against policies “that indoctrinate children and attempt to strip parents of their rights,” according to his conservative non-profit Advancing American Freedom. But first, Pence will travel to Minneapolis, where he “will deliver remarks on defending parents’ rights and combatting the Radical Left’s indoctrination of children.”

Travel to Iowa is closely watched because it’s the first state to vote in the Republican primary process. The eventual nominee doesn’t always win the state, but it certainly helps.

For those not in the know about Nikki Haley, let the Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas answer all your questions:

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is challenging her one-time boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to a video she released Tuesday.

“I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m running for president,” Donald Trump’s former United Nations ambassador said in the video.

The 51-year-old’s run – which was widely expected – breaks a promise she made two years ago to not challenge the ex-Republican president for the Oval Office. But she had indicated recently that she would go back on her word, arguing that the country’s economy was too distressed for her to stand by and that it needed a new generation of leaders – Democratic incumbent Joe Biden is 80, and Trump is 76.

As of Tuesday morning, no other major Republican candidate beside Trump and Haley had announced bids aiming to unseat Biden, who has said he intends to seek a second four-year term.

Other Republicans who are expected to eventually join the fray include Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice-president, Mike Pompeo, ex-secretary of state, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

Related: Nikki Haley to seek Republican nomination for 2024 presidential election

Welcome to the 2024 Republican primary field, Nikki Haley! Here’s who else you will probably be up against in your quest for the White House:

First of all, there’s Donald Trump. Not only has he already declared his run, but poll after poll indicate he’s the frontrunner among potential GOP contenders. Consider him the final boss of this election’s Republican primary – but as any video gamer knows, your last adversary isn’t always the most difficult to overcome. The former president, after all, has no shortage of liabilities.

There’s also Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is so widely expected to run that Trump has already started attacking him. He’ll campaign on taking his divisive culture wars legislation national, while touting the southern state as an economic success story.

Republican senator Tim Scott is expected to soon announce his own bid for the White House, bringing the number of South Carolinians in the GOP’s field to two. And don’t forget about Mike Pence. The former vice-president may have fallen out with Trump, but he’s betting the Republican rank and file will give him a second chance.

Who else? Speculation is endless, but other good bets are Trump’s former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, senator Ted Cruz and perhaps Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin.

Good morning, US politics blog readers. She was once Donald Trump’s point woman at the United Nations, and since leaving his administration has managed to carve out a niche unique among Republicans: not his sidekick, but not his enemy, either. We’ll see if Nikki Haley can continue threading that needle after her announcement today that she is running for president in 2024, a decision that puts her in direct competition with her former boss, who is vying for another stint in the White House. In the coming weeks, Haley and Trump are expected to be joined by more contenders, including senator Tim Scott and former vice-president Mike Pence.

Here’s what else is happening today:

• Senators are getting a classified briefing this morning about the UFOs American jets shot down from the continent’s skies. The Biden administration hasn’t said much about just what was cruising over US and Canadian airspace.

• Joe Biden will address the National Association of Counties’s meeting in Washington at 1.15pm eastern time. Will he discuss UFOs with the officials? Probably not but one can always hope.

• The Senate convenes at 10am, and lawmakers are expected to approve Biden’s 100th nominee to the federal judiciary.