Today we’re talking about a key voting bloc in this year’s elections: white evangelical Christian voters. In 2016 and 2020, they helped Donald Trump rise to power. NPR’s Sarah McCammon, author of “Exvangelicals,” discusses why evangelicals continue to back Trump, her personal journey leaving evangelicalism and the economic systems built around the evangelical movement.

We’ll also talk about the Maryland bridge collapse and the state of U.S. infrastructure. Plus, Neil King Jr., author of the memoir “American Ramble,” answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

- “‘You gotta be tough’: White evangelicals remain enthusiastic about Donald Trump” from NPR

- “How younger voters will impact elections: What is happening to the white evangelical vote?” from Brookings

- “Why White Evangelicals Stuck with Trump” from the University of Chicago Divinity School

- “Latinos Will Determine the Future of American Evangelicalism” from The Atlantic

- “Bridge Collapse in Baltimore Puts an Election Year Spotlight on Infrastructure” from The New York Times

- “Elon Musk’s Starlink Terminals Are Falling Into the Wrong Hands” from Bloomberg

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

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The political and economic power of white evangelicals