Emptied of people. Emptied of vehicles.

In the days leading up to the inauguration of President Joe Biden, perimeters of fences, weapons, soldiers, and heavily armed police blocked off chunks of Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol, where the event was to take place. Authorities vowed there would be no threat from the violent mob that breached the building on January 6 trying to stop the certification of November's election.

In recent days, our photographers have covered this eerie quiet in Washington, as governors of other states also deployed their National Guards to defend their Statehouses from attack.