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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Campaign Money “Arms Race” Goes Nuclear

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Thursday, August 30, 2012   

TAMPA, Fla. - The people watching money in politics say the fundraising arms race has gone nuclear.

Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, is on-site, observing the Republican National Convention. She expects candidates and their allies to spend a minimum of $5.8 billion on federal campaigns this year, an all-time high

She says more of the money will be of a particularly sneaky kind.

"Much more of the money than previous cycles will be made up of unlimited, undisclosed donations."

In Idaho congressional races, Krumholz's organization reports the amount of money raised is fast approaching $2 million.

She says voters need to be very careful about secretive groups with innocent-sounding names that often fund dishonest political ads.

"Despite the patriotic name, it may in fact be one donor. Maybe a member of Congress has jurisdiction over their company or industry through their congressional committee assignments, who knows? We have to all be vigilant in this cycle, because there's a lot of hidden messages."

This year, Krumholz says, many huge super-PACs are masquerading as charities to dodge disclosure. She says the Internal Revenue Service has been investigating...

"But they risk pushback from Congress that doesn't like what they view as meddling in politics. Their hand has been slapped and they're cautiously proceeding."

Krumholz says the disclosure rules for these charities are nearly nonexistent.

"We know ultimately very little, and will by and large not know, who is funding the biggest and most political of these nonprofits until well after the elections - if we ever learn."

Some fundraisers have defended the system, saying campaign donations are an extension of free speech. But Krumholz says what's really going on is that politicians and donors are building relationships they can use to their advantage. She says everyone in the political elite knows who is helping whom - but citizens are left in the dark.

Her group's website, Opensecrets.org, is a source for information on political spending.


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