The lockdown was announced early Saturday morning. A statement from the Bureau of Prisons does not specify the length of the lockdown but says the agency was securing all of its facilities as a precautionary measure brought on by "current events occurring around the country."

"In securing the facilities, the hope is that this prudent measure is for a short period and that operations will be restored to their prior status as soon as practical," the agency said. "We will continue to monitor events carefully and will adjust operations accordingly as the situation continues to evolve."

The Associated Press reports that the lockdown went into effect at midnight Saturday, after inmates had been secured in their cells for the night. The Bureau of Prisons statement goes on to say that inmates would still be provided with access to email and telephones but that communication with families would be limited.

The agency also says that no specific information led to the lockdown nor was it in response to any ''significant" event occurring within a federal prison.

Shane Fausey, president of the Council Of Prison Locals, which represents some 30,000 prison employees, praised the decision.

"The Bureau of Prisons and its professional Federal Law Enforcement employees train for all types of conditions and ways to not only manage emergencies, but more importantly to prevent serious incidents from occurring. Protecting our communities, the inmates entrusted in our care, and all of our employees that stand on the last line of defense is a responsibility that we do not take lightly," Fausey said in a statement.

Law enforcement agencies have been taking measures in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and over fears of violence leading into Biden's swearing-in. Several states worked to secure their Capitol buildings and the FBI has issued a warning for all 50 states.

The Bureau of Prisons is also sending members of its Special Operations Response Team to Washington, D.C., to assist security efforts after the mob spurred on by President Trump breached the Capitol earlier this month, the AP reports. About 100 officers had been sent to the Justice Department and were deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service earlier this month.

Prior to Saturday's announcement, federal prisons had been under modified operations to contain the spread of COVID-19. More than 38,000 inmates and 3,500 staff in federal prisons have had COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and 190 inmates and three staff members have died of the disease. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Trump — who has not congratulated President-elect Joe Biden for winning the election, nor conceded that his loss was legitimate — is the first president in modern history to skip the swearing-in of his successor.

Trump fought the results of the election and was impeached by the House of Representatives last week for inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol while Congress certified Biden's win. He had already announced on Twitter – just before he was banned from the platform – that he would not be going to Biden's inauguration. Biden said afterward that "it's a good thing, him not showing up." Vice President Pence plans to attend.

The Inauguration Day event at the U.S. Capitol is considered as one of the abiding symbols of the peaceful transfer of power, with the outgoing president and other former living presidents sitting on the rostrum with the incoming administration.

Normally, the outgoing president is then seen off by his successor, taking a helicopter from the Capitol to the military base just outside of Washington, D.C., which is home to Air Force One and other official government and military aircraft. Recent past presidents have made brief remarks to staff and supporters before flying out of town.

Details of what Trump's departure ceremony will entail or what time it will take place were not immediately available. After the departure ceremony, Trump – who is president until noon ET on Wednesday — is expected to fly one last time on Air Force One to Palm Beach, Fla., where he plans to live at his Mar-a-Lago club. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Police said Wesley Allen Beeler was arrested shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday night after stopping at a checkpoint.

Authorities said one officer noticed several firearms-related decals on Beeler's truck, including one that said, "If they come for your guns Give 'Em your bullets first."

When asked, Beeler admitted to having a Glock in the vehicle. Police say that in addition to the loaded handgun, they recovered more than 500 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 21 shotgun shells in the truck.

Beeler, who is from Virginia, was charged Saturday with carrying a pistol without a license.

Beeler's family told The Washington Post they were surprised by the arrest, because Beeler works in private security and had said he was working on security near the Capitol. Records from Virginia's department of criminal justice services show Beeler has credentials for private security work and endorsements for handguns, shotguns and patrol rifles.

Areas of Washington, D.C. have seen increased security following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and over concerns of potential violence on Inauguration Day. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sullivan joined NPR's Michel Martin to talk about why it's important for women to tell their own stories — even the parts they're not proud of — and how a prolonged break from recording gave her the focus to create music that is bracingly honest about her and her friends' experiences with love and relationships. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read more of their conversation below.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Michel Martin: Your last album, Reality Show, came out in 2015. How do you feel now that Heaux Tales is out?

Jazmine Sullivan: I'm relieved, definitely, and very excited about the response that I'm getting, what I feel like it's doing for women. When you're creating something, you're never quite sure — at least I'm not — how people are going to take it and interpret it. Since I put it out, it's been such an amazing response; things have been happening for me lately that I couldn't even have dreamed about. I feel like things are really turning around for me, and I'm just excited to see where life takes me.

I recognize that it's almost cliché to talk about an album's title, but here I feel like I have to ask. Tell me, what's the significance?

The idea started two years ago: I had a meeting with my A&R; and the president of the company, and I was feeling anxious about the next project; I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do. And they thought maybe I should do a conceptual piece, because a lot of the time, the way that I write, it's vivid and you can see the characters. I went home and thought about it, and I just thought it would be interesting to bring the conversations that I've had with my girls since we were in high school, and the conversations that women have amongst themselves, to light.

It's an album in the best sense of the word: It almost feels like a collection of short stories, but unified around a theme. Is that how you saw it?

Yeah, definitely. I just wanted to tell the untold stories of women. I feel like society makes it seem like we have to be perfect and present ourselves a certain way to be considered a good woman. We're so very layered and multidimensional and we have stories to tell, and they're all not great stories but that's what makes us who we are.

To be honest, I had a moment after a really bad breakup that had gotten physical. I've talked about it since it happened, but it was around the time Love Me Back, my second album, had came out. I had moved on from the situation and thought I healed from the trauma of it all, and as life went on, I realized that I didn't. I was still kind of acting out a lot of the hurt and pain that I had experienced. After that time, I felt a little ashamed about the things that I did and I allowed myself to do. It was not my best moment, but I had to extend myself some grace because I was really beating myself up about it. At a certain point, I was just like, "Jazmine, you know what? You went through hell, and you dealt with it the way that you could at the time, and it's OK. You've learned from your lessons and you moved on, and you're in a better place."

I feel like that's everybody's story, and I wanted to allow women to feel like it's OK to go through the normal things we go through. As long as you learn from those things, you're still good, sis. You're still a good woman.

I appreciate that you came out through the other side and can talk about it in a way that helps other people make sense of those experiences. It leads me to "Girl Like Me." What's behind this song? Is the story you were just telling us part of what inspired it?

The song came first, but I identified with it as a woman, as a Black woman — as a woman who I feel like is on the side of the regular girls who don't look like Instagram models and never have, with social media having gotten so popular, seeing those images all the time and it getting to you. It gets to you after a while.

"Girl Like Me" features another R&B; star, H.E.R. The two of you sound great together. What goes into that collaboration process, and was it harder because of COVID-19? How does something like this come together?

We definitely couldn't be in the studio together. And I was actually nervous to ask, because I hear that people, you know, they've been influenced by me or they like my music, but I never know how people are going to feel. And I also know that I'm not out a lot — I take really long breaks. Some people, if you're not in the spotlight, you're kind of out of sight, out of mind. But I went on and asked anyway, and I was so shocked that she responded so quickly and loved the music and wanted to be a part of it. It just warmed my heart, because I didn't know if anybody would care to work with me, and she did. She's such an amazing musician, and just fit right in with the song.

The album is set up in such an interesting way: Half of it is interludes, where women describe their different experiences and perspectives on relationships and sex. It's a conversation throughout.

I know everybody on the "tales" — they're my best friends, they're my family, they're friends of friends. I was able to place a song with the person who could delve deeper into the subject. I'm so proud of everybody that was included on this project, because it takes a lot to be honest. Especially about things ... you know, it's hard things that they're talking about.

The thing about this album is that it's very real and raw: It says things that I think a lot of people feel but aren't always willing to say. Along those lines, I want to talk about "The Other Side." There's been this big debate in hip-hop in recent years, if it's been too focused on the material things and glamour. It's interesting to hear this take on it — framing it as the desire for a better life.

I've always been fascinated with a girl who wants and desires things, money and trips and all the things that come with money, ever since "Mascara." When I wrote that song, I was actually on Instagram, looking at the Instagram girls — and I was fascinated by their lives and the trips they were taking and, of course, their physical beauty and what their physical beauty allowed for them to experience. But what I thought was most important and wasn't talked about enough is, we talk about what they want but we don't talk about why they want it.

That's what I think the track "Precious' Tale" did, was explain the psyche behind what people would call a gold digger. We focus on the fact that they're a gold digger, we even shame them for being a gold digger, but do we know their story? Do we know why they desire that? I think, after hearing "Precious' Tale," a lot of other women were able to realize their judgement that they pass on those people and identify with the fact that, "You know what, I want nice things too."

You've opened up a way to think about it that's fascinating. I'm trying to even think about how to describe this conversation. There's an expression that's often used, "airing dirty laundry." Is this that?

I do think that it is airing dirty laundry, but I also think that you learn why people are the way they are, and you're able to connect to that. I'm not opposed to showing the bad in your life, because that's a part of life. Everything is not great. ... Sometimes you're not making the best decision. But it's about self-reflection — being able to look yourself in the eye and admit to yourself that you're not, and then figuring out what to do about it. That's what I hope the project is doing: creating a mirror for everyone to fix, or not fix, what it is about your life that you're going through.

So much of the music of the music industry is still controlled by men, and on the one hand, there can be a lot of validation for women in music being very sexual — but on the other hand, as you noticed, there's a lot of judgment. Do you feel yourself self-censoring at times? Or do you feel like you've gotten to a place where you no longer have to?

In my music, I never self-censor. In life, yes. You feel like you're not able to fully be yourself because society has dictated how they want to imagine a woman — in the most perfect form, whatever they think is perfect. It's not reality. But in my music, no. I've always said how I felt, no matter what that was.

Particularly on this project, I was influenced by a few women today that I felt like were busting through those barriers and helping me feel more confident in who I am. I've talked about Cardi B — my first time seeing her online, the things that she says were so funny to me. It was just completely who she was. And also Lizzo, who represented for us big, beautiful Black women. I was so proud of her for telling the world that she loves herself. Even if you do love yourself, I feel like some people may try to hide it because they don't feel like everybody else will get with it, but she just put it out there. It inspired me to get on that track, and want to continue to help women bust the barriers down.

You mentioned taking long breaks between albums. A lot of the time, it's feast or famine for artists: The lifestyle is harder than I think a lot of people know. The breaks that you have taken, have they helped you? Were they by choice? What role do you think they played in your art?

Well, I'm an advocate for breaks when needed. I think that sometimes you have to go into your quiet place and self-reflect, whatever it is that you need to do. For me, my breaks, I never intended for them to be as long as they were — I literally thought, maybe I'll take, at the most, a year. I'm just going to chill. And then life gets in the way, and before I know it, it's two, three years, and even longer than that. But they have helped me. The more that I'm living my life, my regular life, the more that I'm able to write these songs and these experiences that I don't know if I would be able to write if I was constantly moving or constantly doing things. As an artist, I don't know if I would be able to go certain places.

So, they've helped. But I know that I wouldn't take as long now because of the things that I've been through in my personal life. My mom getting cancer a year ago. And even with COVID-19, time for me is a little more precious now that I have gone through those things. I don't know what tomorrow brings, and I wouldn't want to lose so much of my time. I wouldn't take as long as the breaks I've taken.

It sounds like it fed you, in a way, even though it's not something that you would have chosen.

I mean, definitely. We have learned so much and grown so much in this time. We've grown closer to God, and he's definitely the reason that we're here in the state we're in. She actually just finished her last round of chemo, so at the end of the month we're looking to ring the bell and move forward from this. But we've gotten so much closer, obviously, since something like this happens where you just truly appreciate, appreciate the people in your life.

I have to brag on the NPR Tiny Desk (home) concert you did, which was just posted last week. In a normal year, you would have performed at NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C., in front of a crowd. But this performance is still very energetic; it's very you. There's ad-libbing, at one point you even break into scat singing, all things that people love to see in a live performance. What is that like when it's just you, when there's nobody there to give you that energy?

I'm not going to lie, I've been quarantining since before quarantine started, so I'm pretty comfortable [laughs]. But the music really filled the air with the NPR performance. I was just excited to hear live musicians and live vocalists, so if there was a spark it was because I loved the people I had to accompany me. They were all amazing in their own right. I was happy to be amongst everybody, and to be creating. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Biden's incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, on Saturday laid out in a memo the executive orders the new president will issue on Jan. 20 and in the early days of the new administration.

As Biden promised from the very beginning of his campaign, he will sign an order returning the United States to the Paris climate agreement, the international accord to lower greenhouse gas emissions that the Obama administration played a lead role in crafting. President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement.

Biden has promised to implement sweeping changes to the energy and transportation sector to reach the country's Paris emissions goals.

Biden will also sign orders to direct the Education Department to extend a pause on federal student loan payments and interest; to extend the ban on evictions and foreclosures as a result of the pandemic; and to reverse President Trump's travel ban on some Muslim-majority nations.

Additionally, Biden will sign an order requiring masks on federal property and for interstate travel. Biden has said he'll use part of his inaugural address to urge Americans to commit to wearing masks for at least 100 days to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed almost 400,000 Americans.

Klain wrote that Biden will also submit a broad immigration proposal to Congress. On Thursday, Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion stimulus package he says is his top legislative priority for the beginning of his term.

Biden will continue to sign executive orders through the first 10 days of his presidency.

On Day 2, Biden will sign more actions related to testing and other measures for the coronavirus, Klain said in the memo. On Jan. 22, Biden will direct agencies to "take immediate action to deliver economic relief to working families bearing the brunt" of the coronavirus crisis, the memo said.

In the second week of his presidency, Biden will sign "Buy American" provisions, as well as executive actions on criminal justice reforms, racial equality measures, climate, immigration and access to health care, Klain said. Additional actions are undergoing final legal reviews, he said.

"While the policy objectives in these executive actions are bold, I want to be clear: the legal theory behind them is well-founded and represents a restoration of an appropriate, constitutional role for the President," Klain said. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Lawmakers want to know what the intelligence community and federal law enforcement knew about the threats of violence and whether that information was shared with the right people. Capitol Police have said they were unprepared for the ferocity of the attack, which left one of its officers dead.

"Security and logistical preparations before January 6 were not consistent with the prospect of serious and widespread violence," lawmakers wrote Saturday. "Yet, according to media accounts that have surfaced in recent days, federal and other authorities earlier on possessed — and may have shared with some parties — intelligence and other information forecasting a dire security threat against the Congress's meeting to certify the election results."

"These latter reports, if acted upon, might have prompted more extensive planning for the event, and the infusion of far greater security and other resources," the letter continued. "Tragically that did not happen."

The letter was signed by Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.

Lawmakers are also looking for any potential collaborators within the U.S. government itself. They've asked for any intelligence about people with security clearances or who hold positions in U.S. national security organizations who may have participated in the insurrection.

They're also seeking information about potential foreign involvement in the attack: Did the insurrection have "any nexus to foreign influence or misinformation efforts"?

Also Saturday, Democratic members of the Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to an association of police chiefs to determine how much local law enforcement was involved in the Capitol attack and to see whether any threats remain.

Nearly 30 police officers from departments across the country participated in the pro-Trump rally before the Capitol was stormed. Several are facing federal criminal charges in relation to the riot.

"We are deeply disturbed by reports that a small number of law enforcement officers participated directly in this despicable act of violence against the U.S. Government, thereby placing innocent people and their fellow officers at risk," said the letter, written by Maloney and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

The letter continued: "As law enforcement officers fulfill their responsibility — and put their lives on the line — to defend our country, we must work to identify any individuals within police ranks who have taken action to undermine those efforts, and prevent others who seek to join them."

On Friday, the Department of Justice said it had begun an internal review of its response to the Capitol attack, including "whether there are any weakness in DOJ protocols, policies, or procedures" that impacted its ability to prepare for the attack. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol raised fears across the nation of armed protesters amassing at statehouses. Many states began putting new security measures in place, including increasing law enforcement personnel and activating National Guard troops as legislators returned to work.

The FBI specifically warned this week of potentially violent protests in all 50 states ahead of Biden's swearing-in as the nation's 46th president. As the weekend drew near, statehouses began erecting barricades, fencing and boards as officials braced for potential violence.

On Friday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had been the target of an alleged kidnapping plot last year, activated the state's National Guard ahead of a protest reportedly planned for Sunday.

"The security enhancements that we have made are both seen — such as the increase in uniformed personnel and a perimeter fence — and unseen, which are things we have no intention of discussing or disclosing because these efforts are meant to be covert," said Col. Joe Gasper, the Michigan State Police director, said at a Friday news conference.

Armed protesters took to the Michigan Statehouse in Lansing last spring over coronavirus restrictions. Leaders in the state's GOP-controlled legislature have canceled next week's sessions because of "credible threats" of violence.

In Oregon, state lawmakers announced they would delay gathering in person for the start of their legislative session this week by at least a day. Oregon has also deployed its National Guard — as have California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

"We're treating this very seriously and deploying significant resources to protect public safety, critical infrastructure and First Amendment rights," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Thursday video announcement. "But let me be clear: There will be no tolerance for violence."

Kansas has said it would continue legislative business while upping security measures and restricting visitors with official and scheduled business for at least a week.

Many states are also relying on added support from law enforcement to help secure their legislative buildings. Georgia began deploying SWAT teams to the Statehouse in Atlanta this week, while in Texas more than 100 state troopers in full tactical gear were on-site as armed protesters gathered outside.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told NPR's Weekend Edition that state police, local police and the National Guard would be securing the Statehouse in Frankfort.

"My commitment as the governor of Kentucky is that we will not let what happened at the U.S. Capitol happen here," Beshear said. "It's time that we stop playing patty-cake with so-called militias, acting like they're just dressed up for Halloween. They are dangerous, and we've got to treat them as such."

Beshear said that no permits had been issued to protest at the state's Capitol grounds and that protesters would be met with "serious concern" amid credible threats of violence.

NPR member stations Texas Public Radio, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Michigan Radio, WAMC and KCUR contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The nation's capital will look much different than it did in the days leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol building earlier this month. The area around the Capitol has been blocked off by barricades, and the National Mall is already closed to the public across its entire length — from the Capitol down to the Lincoln Memorial, 2 miles away.

"We cannot allow a recurrence of the chaos and illegal activity that the United States and the world witnessed last week," Matt Miller, head of the U.S. Secret Service's Washington field office, told reporters Friday.

Troops are pouring in from all over the country. "I'm sorry I have to ask you to leave your families and head down to our nation's capital because our country is so broken right now that we have to defend the constitution," Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe reportedly told Massachusetts National Guard troops Saturday morning.

Those troops will join the thousands of camouflaged troops already in the capital, many carrying M4 rifles. And workers are installing miles worth of metal fencing to hold people back. "It looks like a military staging area because that's exactly what it is," NPR's Greg Myre told All Things Considered.

There's really no historical precedent for this level of National Guard activation. DCist reports that more than 13,000 Guard troops were called into the District after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 — the most to occupy a city since the Civil War. But that's only about half as many as are expected in the coming days.

To put things in perspective: Only 5,000 U.S. service members are currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In terms of security, the only thing comparable to Biden's inauguration is that of Abraham Lincoln in 1861, shortly before the Civil War broke out, says Heather Cox Richardson, a professor of history at Boston College. "He rode to the inauguration surrounded by soldiers and cavalry, soldiers were stationed around the streets, and sharpshooters were on the roofs," says Richardson, who writes a popular blog that puts American history in context.

"But Americans had never experienced an assassination before, and we did not yet have a Secret Service, so there was no real concept of keeping the public at a distance," Richardson tells NPR. "I guess the bottom line is that we are in uncharted waters."

National Guard troops will join the thousands of D.C. police and federal agents already in place, with security efforts of their own.

D.C. officials have warned would-be visitors to stay away and instead enjoy the inauguration virtually from their homes. It would be difficult for many to get into the city anyway, as four major bridges from Virginia will be closed from the day before until the day after the inauguration.

It will also be harder for known extremists to get to Washington by plane. The Transportation Security Administration says it's vetting hundreds of names passed along by law enforcement agencies. And it has beefed up security at all three D.C.-area airports, adding more bomb-sniffing dogs, more random gate screenings and more federal air marshals.

"Our intelligence and vetting professionals are working diligently around the clock to ensure those who may pose a threat to our aviation sector undergo enhanced screening or are prevented from boarding an aircraft," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement Friday.

Despite the heightened danger, Biden will deliver his inaugural address just outside the Capitol, a tradition dating back nearly 200 years.

"We do think it's important to honor some of those grand traditions of the inaugural — most notably, that swearing-in on the west front of the Capitol," Tony Allen, head of the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee, told NPR's Weekend Edition. That committee is working closely with the Secret Service to ensure a safe inauguration.

"I feel very strongly that this will be a very secure and safe event," Allen said. "We have taken every precaution."

Many of the activities leading up to the inaugural events are virtual, but that is largely because of the coronavirus that has killed nearly 400,000 Americans and completely reshaped life in the U.S. and the world. Other than heightened security, the events surrounding the inauguration are mostly unchanged.

"There hasn't been that much change because when we were planning the inauguration, we were planning it in a world of a pandemic," Stephanie Cutter, who is helping produce the inauguration, told All Things Considered.

"So there were no events with large crowds," Cutter said. "There was a scaled-down version of the swearing-in on the west front of the Capitol. And some of our events that are taking place have a very light footprint."

The Biden inauguration team has scheduled four days of events leading up to the day itself. Those include a virtual concert, a National Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a nationwide memorial to honor lives lost to COVID-19.

After his inaugural address, Biden will receive a presidential escort to the White House. Online chatter over the past weeks had included statements from supporters urging pro-Trump extremists to meet in D.C. and try to prevent Biden from entering the White House, but given the ubiquitous presence of troops and other security forces, such a move would prove challenging if not impossible.

And Facebook has temporarily blocked people from creating any new Facebook events near the White House or Capitol through Inauguration Day. Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.