Trump's pick for Iceland ambassador apologizes for joking about Arctic nation becoming 52nd state

Former Rep. Billy Long, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Iceland, has apologized after privately joking to House lawmakers that the Arctic island would become the "52nd state" with him as its governor.

Long, a Republican who represented Missouri from 2011 to 2023 and served a brief stint as IRS commissioner last year, said he was just joking with his former congressional colleagues.

"There was nothing serious about that, I was with some people, who I hadn’t met for three years...