Blinken Makes First Africa Trip, Virtually

JOHANNESBURG - On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first Africa visit — though he did not actually go anywhere. 

Blinken virtually attended six events and met with top leaders in continental heavyweights Kenya and Nigeria.   Protecting global human rights through good governance is a cornerstone of American foreign policy, and Blinken hit that point hard in his opening event Tuesday, with alumni of the U.S. government's Young African Leadership Initiative.  But the casual nature of the virtual exchange — which he called "Ten Questions with Tony" — did not stop young Africans from asking the U.S.'s new top diplomat some tough questions about everything from climate change to Chinese influence to growing extremism on the continent.