National and World News from NPR

Fans of Star Trek long ago noted that anonymous security officers who accompanied the show's stars rarely survived the experience. Shortly after being beamed down, they would be vaporized, stomped or eaten for dramatic effect. It's a plot device so common that these expendable crewmen became known collectively as redshirts.

In his novel Redshirts, science fiction writer John Scalzi follows Andrew Dahl, a similarly expendable ensign as he sorts out this life-expectancy issue.

Investigators have yet to rule out arson as they continue to look for the cause of Colorado's Waldo Canyon fire, the most destructive wildfire in state history. Former FBI agent Brad Garrett and forensic psychologist N.G. Berrell talk about the process of investigating fires and the profile of an arsonist.

Yahoo said today that hackers had stolen and posted a file that contained 400,000 usernames and passwords.

The New York Times reports that those credentials were used not only for Yahoo! services but to services such as Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Comcast, MSN, SBC Global, Verizon, Bellsouth and Live.com.

The Times' Bits blog reports:

Prosecutors have released new evidence in the case against George Zimmerman, the Florida man charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin.

As The Orlando Sentinel reports, the new evidence doesn't reveal any "blockbusters." But it does include new testimony from police officers on the scene, as well as new testimony from witnesses

The Sentinel reports:

A day after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to the nation's oldest civil right organization, Vice President Joe Biden appeared at the NAACP's annual convention. He quickly tackled one issue that drew Romney sustained boos — the 2010 health care overhaul.

Biden appeared in place of President Obama, who made a brief videotaped address thanking the group for its work. He walked out to warm applause, and several of his remarks were interrupted by shouts of agreement.

This week, a federal panel is hearing arguments for and against a voter ID law in Texas. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says the Texas voter ID law is like a modern poll tax. Guest host Maria Hinojosa talks more about the issue with Rep. Jose Aliseda, who testified at the hearing. He's a Republican State Representative for Texas who was born in Mexico.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today at the NAACP's annual convention, where GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney already faced a tough crowd. Guest host Maria Hinojosa discusses that and other political news of the week with Michael Fauntroy, professor of public policy at George Mason University and syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette.

Guest Host Maria Hinojosa talks with Kamala Harris, California's Attorney General about the state's newly passed "Homeowner Bill of Rights." The law, which was signed yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown, makes it harder for lenders to seize a property and allows homeowners to sue to stop a foreclosure process.

If you only knew about America from watching TV, the last few months might lead you to think that women here wield enormous political power. First you had Game Change, the story of Sarah Palin's attempt to become vice president. Then you had Veep, in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character has accomplished just that. Now comes Political Animals, a new USA network series about a strong female secretary of state who I suspect even a Martian would realize is based on Hillary Clinton.