For several years, New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer has examined facets of the Bush Administration’s war on terror in laser-like detail, from the CIA’s creation of secret “black site” prisons around the world, to its dramatic expansion of presidential powers.

There was a time when Sheldon G. Adelson seemed famous for his anonymity. He built casinos, backed politicians and contributed millions of dollars to a variety of causes but stayed behind the scenes.