Susan Berfield

Susan Berfield

Sr Investigative Reporter

Latest

Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

Luke Farritor could have been an artist, or a builder, or someone dedicated to seeing a great historical mystery through. Instead he wound up at the Department of Government Efficiency, slashing, dismantling, undoing.

July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025

Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

Luke Farritor could have been an artist, or a builder, or someone dedicated to seeing a great historical mystery through. Instead he wound up at the Department of Government Efficiency, slashing, dismantling, undoing.

Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

December 12, 2024

December 12, 2024

Live Q&A: The Costs and Rewards of the Human Egg Trade

Bloomberg reporters answer your questions.

Live Q&A: Human Egg Trade Homepage Image

December 12, 2024

December 12, 2024

The Global Fertility Trade: A Story of Extraction, Exploitation and Opportunity

Following human eggs as they’re exchanged across open, gray and black markets — reaping rewards for an extremely high price.

The Global Fertility Trade: A Story of Extraction, Exploitation and Opportunity

December 12, 2024

December 12, 2024

‘The Egg’: How We Reported Our Story on the Global Fertility Industry

More than a dozen journalists reported in person on five continents and in 11 countries to tell this story.

‘The Egg’: How We Reported Our Story on the Global Fertility Industry

February 15, 2023

February 15, 2023

Zantac’s Maker Kept Quiet About Cancer Risks for 40 Years

Glaxo says the heartburn drug doesn’t cause tumors. But the company was warned by its own scientists and independent researchers about the potential danger.

Zantac’s Maker Kept Quiet About Cancer Risks for 40 Years

August 25, 2022

August 25, 2022

How Deadly Bacteria Spread in a Similac Factory—and Caused the US Formula Shortage

Procedures got sloppy at the facility in Sturgis, Mich. Cronobacter bacteria proliferated. And when the FDA finally acted, America found itself in a desperate scarcity.

How Deadly Bacteria Spread in a Similac Factory—and Caused the US Formula Shortage

May 19, 2022

May 19, 2022

How Cash Payments Changed Low-Income Americans’ Lives

Cash was key to tackling US inequality during Covid-19. But for women who received monthly guaranteed income, it was far more than a pandemic stopgap.

How Cash Payments Changed Low-Income Americans’ Lives

December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021

How McDonald’s Made Enemies of Black Franchisees

The company, once celebrated in Black entrepreneurial circles, is settling with Black owners who say they were blocked from the best and most profitable locations.

How McDonald’s Made Enemies of Black Franchisees

May 28, 2021

May 28, 2021

What Happened When Evanston Became America’s First City to Promise Reparations

A hundred questions have arisen in the Illinois community, including whether the payments should be called reparations at all.

What Happened When Evanston Became America’s First City to Promise Reparations

April 15, 2021

April 15, 2021

Who Gets How Much: Big Questions About Reparations for Slavery

A small city agreed almost unanimously that restitution was called for. Then the arguments began in earnest

paycheck-evanston

January 14, 2021

January 14, 2021

The U.S. Needs More Covid Testing, and Minnesota Has Found a Way

Get everybody in an entire state to spit into a tube? You betcha.

The U.S. Needs More Covid Testing, and Minnesota Has Found a Way

September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020

A Radical Free-Money Experiment Became Vital When Covid-19 Hit

In California, the city of Stockton is running the first American basic income trial in decades.

A Radical Free-Money Experiment Became Vital When Covid-19 Hit

April 29, 2020

April 29, 2020

What a 1902 Coal Strike Tells Us About Essential Workers Today

Thousands of miners showed Americans the dangerous, low-paid nature of crucial labor. It helped forge a new kind of social contract—could it happen again?

What a 1902 Coal Strike Tells Us About Essential Workers Today

April 20, 2020

April 20, 2020

Antibody Treatments May Be the Best Hope Against the Virus Until a Vaccine

Regeneron’s drug cocktail could be tested in humans by summer and be saving lives by fall.

Antibody Treatments May Be the Best Hope Against the Virus Until a Vaccine

March 19, 2020

March 19, 2020

Famed AIDS Researcher Is Racing to Find a Coronavirus Treatment

Columbia’s David Ho is leading a group that’s trying to compress a five-year process into one.

Famed AIDS Researcher Is Racing to Find a Coronavirus Treatment

January 17, 2020

January 17, 2020

The Failure of the Forever 21 Empire

If the fast-fashion giant is going to survive bankruptcy, its idiosyncratic owners might have to give up control.

The Failure of the Forever 21 Empire

December 13, 2019

December 13, 2019

How Do You Stop Taking Recalled Medication If You Don’t Know It’s Been Recalled?

FDA recalls are always voluntary and sometimes haphazard—and the agency doesn’t want more authority to protect consumers.

How Do You Stop Taking Recalled Medication If You Don’t Know It’s Been Recalled?

September 12, 2019

September 12, 2019

Carcinogens Have Infiltrated the Generic Drug Supply in the U.S.

An FDA quality-control nightmare reveals how impurities end up in America’s blood pressure pills.

Carcinogens Have Infiltrated the Generic Drug Supply in the U.S.

June 19, 2019

June 19, 2019

Cannabis CEO Who Built $15 Billion Empire Is Ready for America

The $15 billion company is ready whenever America is.

Cannabis CEO Who Built $15 Billion Empire Is Ready for America

August 2, 2018

August 2, 2018

Papa John’s Founder Is at War With His Company

The board is trying to stop the ex-CEO from mounting a comeback after a string of controversies.

Papa John’s Founder Is at War With His Company