GWEN IFILL:

Finally tonight: How has big money come to dominate politics? And who is writing the checks? It can be hard to tell.

For instance, The New York Times discovered a glitch in the website run by the tax-exempt wing of the Republican Governors Association that revealed the names of prominent corporate donors. Large political contributions are perfectly legal, and both parties solicit them. But corporate donors' identities are usually kept secret.

In this book conversation, Jeffrey Brown looks at a group of very rich donors who's names are already well-known.