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The way holidays stack up in this country, an outsider might be forgiven for thinking the United States seems like a party monster lurching from beer blast to beer blast. And this Saturday presents an unholy marriage on the same day: Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. Call it Drinko de Mayo.

The country's early parliamentary elections Sunday are set to be the most divisive in recent history. Voters who are tired of austerity measures are rejecting mainstream politics and turning instead to fringe parties.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has left China, after a diplomatic roller coaster of a trip, revolving around the fate of activist Chen Guangcheng, who still remains in a Beijing hospital. NPR's Louisa Lim tells host Scott Simon that Friday night, China hinted it would let Chen apply for permission to study overseas.

Prosecution witnesses delivered dramatic testimony this week in the federal trial of former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. Jeff Tiberii of member station WUNC reports.

Conductor Marin Alsop muses on the enduring qualities of the English composer's first symphony.

Considered by many to be an Indiana institution, Sen. Dick Lugar is fighting for his political life against a fellow Republican with Tea Party backing. In some ways this primary race has become a proxy war for outside groups trying to exert their influence and, as a result, spending is off the charts.

President Obama formally kicks off his campaign Saturday with a pair of rallies: one in Richmond, Va., and one in Columbus, Ohio. NPR's Scott Horsley joins host Scott Simon to talk about the day.

This week the British Parliamentary Committee that convened to investigate accusations of phone hacking and executive misconduct at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. delivered its findings. The headlines it created make uncomfortable reading for a media tycoon who has been under the microscope for 18 months now. Scott Simon talks with NPR's David Folkenflik about Parliament's scathing report.

One of four versions Edvard Munch made of his masterpiece, The Scream, one of the most recognizable works of art in the world, was auctioned at Sotheby's this week for a record-setting price: $119 million.