Omicron: New year, new struggle for schools

Plus, the prime minister of Sudan resigns.

Real quick: We just launched our first-ever newsletter course, a practical guide to eating less meat. Nearly a quarter of Americans say they are trying to cut back on meat. We're here to help. Read more and sign up for Meat/Less here. Omicron complicates the return to school nationwide; Sudan's prime minister resigns, imperiling the country's fragile democracy.   Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin. TOP NEWS "Back to school" derailed by omicron     Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Surging cases of the omicron variant are complicating students' return to school following winter break. [Boston Globe / Gal Tziperman Lotan and Taylor Dolven] The number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 has risen by 40 percent over the past week, and new infections are now averaging more than 400,000 per day. Early results indicate omicron is less virulent than previous variants, but since it's more contagious, it could still overwhelm hospitals.  [Reuters / Lisa Shumaker] That has some school administrators worried reopening schools could drive up cases even further;  as a result, more than 2,000 schools across the country will close or shift to remote learning this week. Some larger school districts like Baltimore and Washington, DC, are extending their winter break, while smaller districts in New Jersey and Ohio are switching to remote learning.  [Axios / Tina Reed] New York City Public Schools returned in person as scheduled on Monday; newly sworn Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have tried to assure parents that improved testing protocols will help keep students safe. [NBC / AP] Some students will have protection they didn't before: On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency authorization of Pfizer vaccine booster shots for kids 12-15, and the FDA cut the time between the second dose and booster shot to five months. [CNN / Deidre McPhillips] Follow this story: Dylan Scott guides you through the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic in our essential weekly newsletter. Sign up for VoxCare here. Sudan's prime minister resigns Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned on Sunday, leaving the army in control of the country and endangering the northeast African country's transition to democracy. [BBC / Emmanuel Igunza] Hamdok had only recently been reinstated as prime minister as part of a power-sharing agreement with the military following an October military coup. The now former prime minister, an economist and former United Nations official, took office in August 2019 after the ousting of brutal dictator Omar al-Bashir. [CNN / Alaa Elassar and Pierre Meilhan] After three decades of al-Bashir's rule, Sudan's pro-democracy movement hoped Hamdok would help transition the country to democracy. The coup sparked mass pro-democracy protests, which continued following the power-sharing agreement. Some claimed the deal only gave further credibility to the military, which had ruled the country for 60 years. [NYT / Abdi Latif Dahir] "I tried as much as I could to avoid our country from sliding into disaster," Hamdok said in a televised address Sunday. "I decided to give back the responsibility and announce my resignation as prime minister and give a chance to another man or woman of this noble country."  [Washington Post/ Max Bearak and Miriam Berger] The country is already sliding into tragedy: The military has killed dozens of protesters following the coup. An end to the violence will require "finding political compromise between the military, the street, and the FFC, to rewrite a roadmap for going forward," Cameron Hudson, a Sudan expert at the Atlantic Council's Africa Center, told the Associated Press. [AP / Samy Magdy]  We write for the people   Help keep Vox free by making your first-time contribution today to help us keep Vox free for all. Give MISCELLANEOUS The New York Attorney General's office subpoenaed Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. on Monday to testify in a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization inflated the value of its properties. [CNN / Kara Scannell and Sonia Moghe] A woman in Israel has come down with what is being dubbed "flurona": the flu and Covid-19 at the same time. [Daily Beast / Barbie Latza Nadeau] Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on Monday plans to hold a vote by January 17 on changing Senate filibuster rules if Republicans continue blocking voting rights legislation. [The Hill / Jordain Carney] Hong Kong news outlet Citizen News announced it would stop publishing, citing deteriorating press freedom as pro-Beijing lawmakers were sworn in on Monday. [AP / Huizhong Wu and Zen Soo] VERBATIM "There's a lot of Covid out there ... it's going to be a bumpy start."   Michelle Smith McDonald, director of communications and public affairs for the Alameda County Office of Education, predicts a rocky path ahead for reopening schools.  LISTEN TO THIS     Vox's Sean Illing talks to Yale professor and author Jason Stanley about why American democracy provides such fertile soil for fascism, how Donald Trump demonstrated how easy it was for our country to flirt with a fascist future, and what we can do about it. [Spotify] Read more from Vox How does this end?   Where have all the truck drivers gone?   Money has never felt more fake   22 things we think will happen in 2022   Rare turtles keep washing up on Cape Cod. 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