Newsmax Host Corrects Colleague on Jobs Rpt: ‘Actually…’
Newsmax’s Marc Lotter corrected co-host Sharla McBride on air Friday after she incorrectly told viewers that the U.S. added 92,000 jobs in February, clarifying, “Actually, we lost 92,000 jobs.”
The moment unfolded as McBride introduced what she described as breaking news about the February jobs report. With an on-screen graphic echoing the same claim, she initially told viewers that the United States had added 92,000 jobs in February.
“Welcome back, so we are back on Wake Up America with some breaking news,” McBride began. “Last month’s jobs report was just released moments ago, with the economy adding 92,000 jobs in February.”
But Lotter quickly corrected the claim.
“Actually, we lost 92,000 jobs,” Lotter interjected. “That’s alright, we lost 92,000 jobs.”
McBride then attributed the mistake to the show’s script.
“OK,” she replied with a laugh. “So that was wrong in the script. Sorry about that.”
The awkward moment came as the Bureau of Labor Statistics report painted a bleak picture for the labor market. Beyond the reported loss of 92,000 jobs in February, revisions to previous months further weakened the outlook. According to the updated figures, December’s job numbers were revised downward by 65,000 positions. That change means the U.S. economy actually lost about 17,000 jobs in December.
Financial markets reacted sharply to the disappointing data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped roughly 900 points following the report, while both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq slid about 1.6%.
The unemployment rate also rose slightly, increasing from 4.3% in January to 4.4% in February.
According to a Friday Forbes article, the worst may still be yet to come. Healthcare — one of the few sectors consistently adding jobs over the past year — could face further losses as spending cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which is projected to slash roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, prompt hospitals and health systems to freeze hiring or reduce staff.
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