First on TVNewser: CNN is opening political bureaus in several key states as the race for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations heats up. A CNN insider tells TVNewser the bureaus in Des Moines, IA, Manchester, NH and Columbia, SC are already operational. They are being staffed at CNN Newsource affiliates in those cities.

The bureau staffers will videotape campaign events (in HD) as well as feed political stories and news items to the CNN political ticker on CNN.com. The insider tells us, as the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire & South Carolina primaries get closer, staffing will be ramped up.