State Department special envoys are about to get less special. President Joe Biden’s administration is rushing to fill posts for special envoys and representatives ahead of a Jan. 3 deadline after which most such candidates will be required to get Senate confirmation. That rule, passed quietly in 2021, closes a loophole that let successive administrations circumvent the lengthy wait time that has plagued ambassadorial nominees. The loophole had resulted in a proliferation of the envoy jobs, and Congress had grown increasingly frustrated that the administration was relying on special envoys to do work that lawmakers argued should fall under their oversight. (https://news.yahoo.com/biden-special-envoys-less-special-120000681.html) Eager to beat the deadline, the Biden administration has announced several new envoys in recent weeks, including former Representative Abby Finkenauer for global youth issues, former Representative Joseph Kennedy III as an economic envoy to Northern Ireland, and Johnnie Carson, a veteran diplomat, to implement the goals of the US-Africa Leaders Summit.