From the travel mask mandate turnaround to details on Patrick Lyoya's death, here's top news from the past week

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.

In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected to it in the lawsuit.

The judge said "a limited remedy would be no remedy at all" and that the courts have full authority to make a decision such as this — even if the goals of the CDC in fighting the virus are laudable.

"Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate," she wrote.

The Justice Department declined to comment Monday when asked if the government planned to appeal the ruling.

The CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S.

Latest Headlines

CDC extends travel mask requirement for 2 weeks

• By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press

The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate.

Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.

There have been a series of violent incidents on aircraft that have mainly been attributed to disputes over the mask-wearing requirements.

The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge's order as a nonprofit group that "opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Twitter said Friday that its board of directors has unanimously adopted a “poison pill” defense in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s proposal to buy the company and take it private.

Twitter said the move, formally called a “limited duration shareholder rights plan," aims to enable its investors to “realize the full value of their investment” by reducing the likelihood that any one person can gain control of the company without either paying shareholders a premium or giving the board more time. Poison pills are often used to defend against hostile takeovers.

Twitter’s plan would take effect if Musk’s roughly 9% stake grows to 15% or more. Even then, Musk could still take over the company with a proxy fight by voting out the current directors. Twitter said the plan doesn’t prevent the board from engaging with parties or accepting an acquisition proposal if it’s in the company’s “best interests.”

Twitter had revealed in a securities filing Thursday that Musk offered to buy the company outright for more than $43 billion, saying the social media platform “needs to be transformed as a private company” in order to build trust with its users.

“I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy,” Musk said in the filing. “I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form.”

Later on Thursday, during an onstage interview at the TED 2022 conference, he went even broader: “Having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization.”

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior U.S. defense official says the U.S. believes the Russian guided-missile cruiser that sank Thursday in the northern Black Sea was struck by at least one Ukrainian anti-ship missile, as claimed by the Kyiv government.

Pentagon officials had previously said they could not confirm the Ukrainian claim, but they also did not refute it.

The senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an intelligence assessment, said the Moskva was hit Wednesday by at least one, and probably two, Neptune missiles, creating the large fire aboard the vessel.

The official offered no further details beyond saying the U.S. believes the Russians suffered some number of casualties aboard the ship.

Latest Headlines

Police: More than 900 civilian bodies found in Kyiv region

• By ADAM SCHRECK and YESICA FISCH Associated Press

Photos from Ukraine: Surrounded by rubble, Ukrainians mourn

The Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva rests deep beneath the Black Sea this morning.

Whether it lies there as the victim of Ukrainian missiles, Russian incompetence, bad luck or a combination of all three is unclear. What is certain, though, is that the biggest wartime loss of a naval ship in 40 years will raise troubling questions not only for Moscow, but for military planners around the world.

What caused the sinking?

The ship sank off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea on Thursday.

Russia's Defense Ministry says a fire of unknown origin detonated the ship's stored ammunition and the resulting explosions left the Moskva with structural damage. It says the warship then sank amid rough seas as it was being towed to a nearby port.

Ukraine says it hit the Moskva with anti-ship cruise missiles and that these sparked the fire that detonated the ammunition.

U.S. and Western defense officials seem to favor the Ukrainian account.

The U.S. believes with "medium confidence" that Ukraine's version of events is accurate, a source familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN.

The Moskva was armed with a range of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles as well as torpedoes, naval guns and missile defense systems, meaning it would have had massive amounts of explosives aboard.

When was the last time a ship of this size was lost in war?

The Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was torpedoed and sunk by the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror on May 2, 1982, during the Falkland Islands war.

The General Belgrano and the Moskva were of similar size — each about 600 feet (182 meters) long and displacing 12,000 tons — though the crew of about 1,100 aboard the General Belgrano was more than double the size of the Moskva's crew of about 500.

Russia has not disclosed the number of casualties occurred during the Moskva's fire and subsequent sinking. A total of 323 crew died when the General Belgrano went down.

What does the loss of the Moskva mean for the Russian war effort?

The biggest effect may be on Russian morale. As the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva was one of its most visible assets in the Ukraine war. Though Moscow carefully manages news about the war in Russia, it will be hard to hide the sudden absence of such a large ship.

And its loss will raise doubts about Russia's warfighting abilities, whether it was due to enemy action or accident.

"Both explanations for the sinking of the Moskva indicate possible Russian deficiencies — either poor air defenses or incredibly lax safety procedures and damage control on the Black Sea Fleet's flagship," analysts Mason Clark, Kateryna Stepanenko, and George Barros at the Institute for the Study of War wrote in their daily war briefing.

Carl Schuster, a former U.S. Navy captain, said the doubts went all the way to the Kremlin.

"It raises questions about naval competence 10 years after (Russian President Vladimir) Putin announced he was going to restore the navy's capabilities, morale and professionalism," Schuster said.

"It seems he has not been able to keep any of his promises for any of Russia's military services," Schuster said, noting Russia had suffered setbacks on land too.

But analysts are split on what impact the sinking will have on the Russian invasion.

The ISW analysts see it as a relatively minor blow, saying the ship was mostly used for cruise missile strikes on Ukrainian logistic centers and airfields. Russia has land-based systems and strike aircraft that can do the same thing, they said.

However, they added that if it was indeed a Ukrainian missile that led to the sinking, the Russian navy would have to rethink its operations, possibly moving ships farther from Ukrainian territory and adjusting their air defenses.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Moskva's main mission was air defense for the Russian forces in the Black Sea.

"It will have an impact on that capability, certainly in the near term," Kirby told reporters.

A lesson for China?

Analysts say the sinking will be carefully studied in East Asia, especially if it is confirmed that Ukrainian missiles struck the warship.

In particular, analysts will be searching for any insight it might offer into any potential military conflict involving Taiwan — the democratically ruled island that Beijing's ruling Communist Party claims as part of its territory. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to gain control of Taiwan and this has caused tensions with the US, which is committed to providing the island with defensive weapons.

Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corp. think tank, said the strike on the Moskva would underscore to both China and the U.S. "the vulnerability of surface ships" in any potential military clash.

Heath said in such a scenario the U.S. Navy would want to keep its surface ships well out of range of the anti-ship missiles Beijing has amassed on the Chinese mainland.

China, on the other hand, would be aware that Taiwan had been acquiring inexpensive anti-ship missiles similar to those Ukraine claims hit the Moskva, Heath and others said.

Because of that, "any potential (Chinese) invasion of Taiwan remains an extremely high risk mission," Heath said.

But some analysts said the Moskva's sinking has limited relevance for the situation in East Asia.

Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine commander who is now an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, said there were too many differences between the situations.

The Moskva's air defense systems are not in the same league as the more modern Aegis systems on U.S. Navy destroyers, and Ukrainian anti-ship missiles are not as good as Chinese ones, Shugart said.

And Soviet-era warships like the Moskva have been typically "known for their offensive punch, not for their defensive systems or their damage control," Shugart said.

MORE UPDATES FROM UKRAINE:

Photos from Ukraine: Surrounded by rubble, Ukrainians mourn

DETROIT (AP) — An independent autopsy confirms that Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, was shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer while facedown on the ground, lawyers for Lyoya's family said Tuesday.

The finding by a former Detroit-area medical examiner matches what was seen last week on video released by the Grand Rapids police chief. The official autopsy report hasn't been released to the public.

"There's no question what killed this young man," said Dr. Werner Spitz, holding a skull at a news conference to show where the bullet entered the head.

Lyoya was killed after a traffic stop in western Michigan on April 4. He and the white officer physically struggled on the ground before the 26-year-old refugee from Congo was shot.

Lyoya wasn't armed, though the officer was on top of him and can be heard on video demanding that he take his hand off a police Taser.

"We can confirm that Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of his head," attorney Ben Crump said. "That is now scientific evidence of this tragic killing and what his family believes was an execution."

Crump, who has secured multimillion-dollar settlements for families of other Black men killed by police, said Lyoya could have lived until his early 80s — a "long and fruitful life."

Lyoya's death has outraged his family as well as many people who have watched video of the confrontation with an officer.

The officer, whose name hasn't been released, is heard saying during a traffic stop that the license plate didn't match the car. Lyoya declined to get back into the vehicle as ordered, and a short foot chase ensued.

State police will give their findings to the Kent County prosecutor for consideration of any charges.

Lyoya's funeral is planned for Friday at Renaissance Church of God in Christ in Grand Rapids. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network said it will help cover the cost. He will deliver a eulogy.

Photos: Video showing Michigan police shooting sparks protests

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Black man face-down on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, brief foot chase and struggle over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 incident.

Patrick Lyoya, 26, was killed outside a house in Grand Rapids. The white officer repeatedly ordered Lyoya to "let go" of his Taser, at one point demanding: "Drop the Taser!"

Citing a need for transparency, the city's new police chief, Eric Winstrom, on Wednesday released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya's car on that rainy morning.

"I view it as a tragedy. ... It was a progression of sadness for me," said Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March. The city of about 200,000 people is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

Video shows Lyoya running from the officer who stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn't belong to the vehicle. They struggled in front of several homes while Lyoya's passenger got out and watched.

Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to subdue him.

"From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact," Winstrom told reporters. "And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that's the only information that I have."

State police are investigating the shooting. Kent County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy but toxicology tests haven't been finished.

The traffic stop was tense from the start. Video shows Lyoya, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, getting out of the car before the officer approached. He ordered Lyoya to get back in the vehicle but the man declined.

The officer asked him if he spoke English and demanded his driver's license. The foot chase began soon after, video shows.

Winstrom didn't identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave during the investigation.

"Me being from Chicago for the last 20 years, I've handled many police shootings myself, so I do have a lot of experience in this," the chief said. "I was hoping to never have to utilize that experience here."

Video was collected from Lyoya's passenger, the officer's body-worn camera, the officer's patrol car and a doorbell camera. Prosecutor Chris Becker, who will decide whether any charges are warranted, objected to the release but said Winstrom could act on his own.

Becker said the public shouldn't expect a quick decision.

"While the videos released today are an important piece of evidence, they are not all of the evidence," he said.

City Manager Mark Washington warned that the videos would lead to "expressions of shock, of anger and of pain." Some downtown businesses boarded up their storefronts, and concrete barricades surrounded police headquarters.

Lyoya had two young daughters and five siblings, said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who spoke to his family.

"He arrived in the United States as a refugee with his family fleeing violence. He had his whole life ahead of him," Whitmer, a Democrat, said.

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, speaking on behalf of Lyoya's family, on Wednesday called for the officer in the shooting to be fired and prosecuted.

"The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive, and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life," Crump said in a release.

"It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop," he added.

Crump and Lyoya's family were expected to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon.

More than 100 people marched to Grand Rapids City Hall before a City Commission meeting Tuesday night, chanting "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace."

On Wednesday, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Grand Rapids Police Department following the release of the videos, with some cursing and shouting from behind barricades. The group demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting.

Some businesses cut their hours short Wednesday, closing early. Some boarded up windows. But the demonstration remained nonviolent with protesters demanding justice for Lyoya and other Black lives lost in shootings involving police.

Winstrom last week said he met Lyoya's father, Peter Lyoya, and that they both cried.

"I get it as a father. ... It's just heart-wrenching," the chief told WOOD-TV.

As in many U.S. cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18% of the population.

In November, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over the practice of photographing and fingerprinting people who were never charged with a crime. Grand Rapids said the policy changed in 2015.

A downtown street has been designated Breonna Taylor Way, named for the Black woman and Grand Rapids native who was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, during a botched drug raid in 2020.

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Photos: Video showing Michigan police shooting sparks protests

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following the withdrawal of Russian forces — most of them fatally shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were "simply executed."

The number of dead is double that announced by Ukrainian authorities almost two weeks ago.

Andriy Nebytov, the head of Kyiv's regional police force, said the bodies were abandoned in the streets or given temporary burials. He cited police data indicating that 95% died from gunshot wounds.

"Consequently, we understand that under the (Russian) occupation, people were simply executed in the streets," Nebytov said.

More bodies are being found every day, under rubble and in mass graves, he added.

The largest number of victims were found in Bucha, where there were more than 350, he said.

According to Nebytov, utilities workers in Bucha gathered and buried bodies in the Kyiv suburb while it remained under Russian control. Russian troops, he added, were "tracking down" people who expressed strong pro-Ukrainian views.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry promised to ramp up missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in response to Ukraine's alleged aggression on Russian territory, an ominous warning that followed Moscow's stinging loss of its flagship in the Black Sea.

The threat of intensified attacks on Kyiv came after Russian authorities accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings with airstrikes in Bryansk, a region bordering Ukraine. Authorities in another border region of Russia also reported Ukrainian shelling Thursday.

"The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on the Russian territory," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Russia issued the warning while it continues to prepare for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, locals in the pummeled southeastern city of Mariupol reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies.

In Kyiv, a renewed bombardment could mean a return to the steady wail of air raid sirens heard during the early days of the invasion and to fearful nights sheltering in subway stations. Tentative signs of pre-war life have resurfaced in the capital after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to concentrate on eastern Ukraine, leaving behind evidence of possible war crimes.

Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports could not be independently verified.

However, Ukrainian officials said their forces did strike a key Russian warship with missiles. If true, the reported Wednesday attack on the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named for the Russian capital, would represent an important victory for Ukraine and a symbolic defeat for Russia.

The warship sank while being towed to port Thursday after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained in dispute. Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack. U.S. and other Western officials could not confirm what caused the blaze.

The Moskva had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles. If Ukrainian forces took out the vessel, it was likely the largest warship to be sunk in combat since 1982. A British submarine torpedoed an Argentine navy cruiser called the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War, killing over 300 sailors.

The sinking of the Russian warship reduces Russia's firepower in the Black Sea, although military analysts disagreed on the event's significance to the course of the war. Either way, the loss was viewed as emblematic of Moscow's fortunes in a seven-week invasion widely seen as a historic blunder following the retreat from the Kyiv region and much of northern Ukraine.

"A 'flagship' russian warship is a worthy diving site. We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now. Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted Friday in a boast.

In his nightly address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainians they should be proud of having survived 50 days under Russian attack when the invaders "gave us a maximum of five."

Russia's warning of renewed airstrikes did not stop Kyiv residents from taking advantage of a sunny and slightly warmer spring day as the weekend approached. More people than usual were out on the streets Friday, walking dogs, riding electric scooters and strolling hand in hand.

In one central park, a small group of people including a woman draped in a Ukrainian flag danced to the music of a portable speaker.

Residents reported hearing explosions in parts of Kyiv overnight, but it was not clear what sites were targeted.

News about the Moskva overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, which Moscow's forces have blockaded since the early days of the invasion. Dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders have held out against a siege that has come at a horrific cost to trapped and starving civilians.

Mariupol's mayor said this week that more than 10,000 civilians had died and the death toll could surpass 20,000. Other Ukrainian officials have said they expect to find evidence in Mariupol of atrocities against civilians like the ones discovered in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv.

The Mariupol City Council said Friday that locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies that were buried in residential courtyards and not allowing new burials "of people killed by them."

"Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown," the council said on the Telegram messaging app.

Mariupol's capture would allow Russian forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland and the target of the looming offensive.

Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas of the region.

Although it's not certain when Russia will launch the full-scale campaign, a regional Ukrainian official said Friday that seven people died and 27 were injured after Russian forces opened fire on buses carrying civilians in the village of Borovaya, near the northeastern city of Kharkiv. The claim could not be independently verified.

Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutor's office, told Ukraine's Suspilne news website, that Ukrainian authorities had opened criminal proceedings in connection with a suspected "violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder."

A large explosion also struck the eastern city of Kramatorsk, where a missile strike on a train station a week earlier killed more than 50 people as thousands heeding warnings to evacuate the Donbas area waited to leave.

Associated Press journalists in Kramatorsk heard the sound of a rocket or missile and then the blast, followed by sirens wailing Friday. It was not immediately clear what was hit or whether there were casualties. A day earlier, a factory in the same city was hit by an airstrike.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region "liquidated a squad of mercenaries from a Polish private military company" of up to 30 people and "liberated" an iron and steel factor in Mariupol. The claims could not be independently verified.

On Thursday, the Defense Ministry explained the damage to the Moskva by saying that a fire had caused ammunition on board to detonate. Apart from the cruise missiles, the Moskva also carried air-defense missiles and other guns.

The ministry did not say what might have caused the blaze but reported that the crew, which usually numbers about 500, abandoned the vessel. It was not clear if there were any casualties.

Maksym Marchenko, governor of Ukraine's Black Sea region of Odesa, said Ukrainian forces struck the Moskva with two Neptune missiles and caused "serious damage." The Neptune is an anti-ship missile recently developed by Ukraine based on an earlier Soviet design.

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Latest Headlines

Moskva sinking: What really happened to the pride of Russia's fleet?

• Analysis by Brad Lendon, CNN

Photos from Ukraine: Surrounded by rubble, Ukrainians mourn

After a federal judge in Florida struck down the Biden administration's mask mandate for airplanes and other public transport methods, airlines are starting to act.

Several US airlines announced Monday that masks are now optional on their aircraft. They are:

These airlines are dropping mask requirements

Delta Air Lines

United Airlines

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Southwest Airlines

JetBlue

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MORE COVERAGE

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

An Arizona wildfire more than tripled in size as relentless winds pushed the flames through neighborhoods on the outskirts of a college and tourist town, forcing out hundreds of residents and destroying more than two dozen homes and other structures.

The wind-whipped fire on the outskirts of Flagstaff ballooned to more than 30 square miles.

Forest Service officials say flames as high as 100 feet quickly scorched dry vegetation. Weather conditions improved, but the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Thursday citing strong winds.

Elsewhere in Arizona, firefighters battled a wildfire in a sparsely populated area of national forest south of Prescott.

Crews also are busy trying to corral fires in New Mexico and Colorado.

Full coverage:

Jay Wright shocked college basketball Wednesday night with his immediate resignation at Villanova, the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career.

The 60-year-old Wright guided Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and just led the Wildcats to the Final Four, where they lost to national champion Kansas.

He went 520-197 in 21 seasons at the school and 642-282 overall, also coaching Hofstra from 1994–2001.

Kyle Neptune, who served on the Villanova coaching staff before accepting the head coaching position at Fordham in 2021, returned to replace Wright. Wright will remain at Villanova and stay involved in fundraising, advising, education and more.

Full coverage:

Photos: Villanova coach Jay Wright's last game, and more

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of opening fire on a crowded subway train in Brooklyn was ordered held without bail as prosecutors told a judge Thursday he terrified all of New York City.

Frank James, 62, spoke only to answer "yes" to standard questions during the brief proceeding in a federal court in Brooklyn.

He was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters, shooting 10 people. He's charged with a federal terrorism offense that applies to attacks on mass transit systems — authorities say there's currently no evidence linking him to terror organizations.

"The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn't seen in more than 20 years," Assistant U.S. attorney Sara K. Winik said. "The defendant's attack was premeditated, was carefully planned, and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city."

The victims, who range in age from 16 to 60, are all expected to survive.

In court papers, prosecutors called the shooting calculated, saying that James wore a hard hat and construction worker-style jacket as a disguise and then shed them after the gunfire to avoid recognition. Prosecutors suggested James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.

His lawyer, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, agreed to his being held without bail, at least for now. His attorneys could seek bail later on.

At the request of James' lawyers, Magistrate Roanne Mann said she would ask the federal Bureau of Prisons to provide James with "psychiatric attention," as well as magnesium tablets for leg cramps, at the federal lockup in Brooklyn where he's being held.

James didn't respond to shouted questions from reporters Wednesday as he was led from a police precinct into a car headed for a federal detention center.

Authorities say a trove of evidence connects James to the attack. His bank card, his cell phone and a key to a van he had rented were found at the shooting scene. Officers also found the handgun they said was used in the shooting; tracing records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.

Investigators were examining many hours of videos that James posted on social media, including one a day before the attack, in which he delivered profanity-laced diatribes about racism, society's treatment of Black people, homelessness and violence. He also talked about his history of psychiatric treatment, and he complained about how New York's mayor is dealing with homeless people on subways and with gun violence.

He also talked about shooting people, prosecutors noted in court papers.

James was born and raised in New York City but had moved to Milwaukee. He'd recently left Wisconsin and had briefly lived in Philadelphia.

Photos: Brooklyn subway shooting