Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul and GOP power broker, dies

LAS VEGAS — Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire mogul, Republican mega-donor and power broker who built a casino empire spanning from Las Vegas to China and became a singular force in domestic and international politics, has died after a long illness. In 2012, Politico called him “the dominant pioneer of the super PAC era.” Adelson hosted the party’s top strategists and candidates at his modest office wedged among the casinos of the Las Vegas Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Adelson “will forever be remembered” for his work strengthening ties between the U.S. and Israel. “Our nation lost a remarkable American with the passing of my friend Sheldon Adelson,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday. “In the nearly four decades that I’ve known him, Sheldon Adelson has been outspoken with causes important to him,” Reid said Tuesday.