The already unwieldy debate over US healthcare reform grew stranger and darker this week, drawing in British physicist Stephen Hawking, “death panels”, guns and Nazi Germany.

A pre-eminent black Harvard University professor and the white police sergeant who arrested him for disorderly conduct in his own home sat down last night for a beer with Barack Obama, the US president, to discuss the incident that has sparked intense debates on race relations.

Property agents in Washington, DC say young buyers seeking to become first-time homeowners with the help of government tax breaks and other incentives are getting outbid by investors and even each other. A host of factors has ignited home sales in the area, according to buyers and sellers, whose anecdotal experiences would not show up in the official statistics for several months

The US Department of Homeland Security believes that St Elizabeths Hospital, one of the country’s first public psychiatric hospitals, is the only suitable site for its new headquarters.

Since Barack Obama won the race for the White House on Nov 4, related merchandise has been snapped up so quickly that memorabilia retailer Jim Warlick opened a second shop last month. He is also planning to open another five temporary stores in the weeks surrounding Mr Obama’s inauguration on Jan 20, an event that could draw several million people.

Mr Warlick is not alone. Mr Obama’s image has boosted merchandise sales for producers, suppliers and even inspired mom-and-pop shops to enter the world of politics for the first time.