The latest new in New York Wait, what? Another snowstorm on the way?

                                             Can we say "Uncle"?

With mounds of snow everywhere and backs aching from shoveling, this may not be the news you want to hear. But there's a chance another storm could roll up the East Coast toward the end of the week.

Some areas buried by the blizzard could have more wintry weather to deal with less than a week after the record-breaking storm departed, the Weather Channel warned.

There will be a storm system moving off the Southeast coast late in the week, AccuWeather meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.

The exact track of the storm after it leaves the Southeast coast will determine whether a swath of more disruptive snow spreads across the Northeast or remains offshore.
A storm could spread snow and rain up the East Coast by the end of the week. (Photo: AccuWeather)

"We could see some snow, a wintry mix or rain in portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast," according to Weather Channel meteorologist Quincy Vagell.


                                                        Watch More 
The storm could intensify as it tracks near the coast, causing winds to strengthen. If the storm reaches its full potential, it's possible for blizzard conditions to develop, AccuWeather said.

Stay tuned....

Latest News Florida State agrees to pay Winston accuser $950,000 to settle suit

Florida State has settled a federal Title IX lawsuit with Erica Kinsman, a former student who said she was raped by quarterback Jameis Winston in 2012.

The settlement was announced on Monday, more than a year after she initially filed the complaint in federal court.

FSU agreed to pay Kinsman $950,000 – an amount that includes attorney’s fees – as well as make a five-year commitment to awareness, prevention and training programs. The lump sum is the largest settlement for Title IX claims regarding indifference to a student’s reported sexual assault.

“I will always be disappointed that I had to leave the school I dreamed of attending since I was little,” Kinsman said in a statement. “I am happy that FSU has committed to continue making changes in order to ensure a safer environment for all students.”

FSU did not admit to liability in the settlement, which university president John Thrasher said the school agreed to in order to avoid additional litigation expenses.

“We have an obligation to our students, their parents and Florida taxpayers to deal with this case, as we do all litigation, in a financially responsible manner,” Thrasher said in a statement. “With all the economic demands we face, at some point it doesn’t make sense to continue even though we are convinced we would have prevailed.”

The settlement does not affect an ongoing Title IX investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Kinsman filed a complaint with the agency in early 2014 and it opened an investigation in April of that year.

John Clune, one of Kinsman’s attorneys, said not withdrawing her OCR complaint was critical for Kinsman in agreeing to the settlement.

In her lawsuit, which was settled in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Kinsman alleged that Florida State was “deliberately indifferent” to her reported sexual assault and that its response was “clearly unreasonable.” She asserted that FSU concealed and obstructed the investigation so as to allow Winston to play football.

Kinsman, who left FSU in November 2013 when the case became publicly known, argued that continued harassment denied her of her educational opportunities under Title IX.

As part of the settlement, FSU agreed to publish annual reports of its programs for the next five years.

In September 2014, FSU created the "kNOw MORE" campaign, seeking to educate students, faculty and staff about the meaning of consent, prevention, intervention and provide resources for sexual assault victims. The school has also hired a new Title IX coordinator, added six positions related to on-campus safety and published a Victims’ Rights and Resources handbook, among other initiatives.

“She had two goals in this case - one was to hold the university accountable for what happened and the other was to force changes at Florida State,” said Clune. “With this settlement, in conjunction with the OCR investigation, she’s done that.”

FSU had previously tried to have Kinsman’s lawsuit dismissed, but Judge Mark E. Walker ruled in August that it could go forward.

FSU had argued that an “appropriate person” was not aware of the harassment Kinsman alleged and could not take corrective action.

The school had previously admitted that senior associate athletics director Monk Bonasorte and football coach Jimbo Fisher were aware of the rape allegation in January 2013, a month after Kinsman first reported to police, but did not notify the Title IX coordinator or the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Before the lawsuit was settled, it was proceeding through discovery with both parties taking depositions and gathering evidence.

In a Sept. 22 deposition, which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Fisher said that he was not aware of FSU’s policy about sexual battery around the time the allegation against Winston was first reported to police and initially investigated.

In a deposition previously released to USA TODAY Sports, Tallahassee police detective Scott Angulo admitted to missteps and other investigative steps that could have been taken in the early days of the criminal investigation when Kinsman first deported in December 2012.

She alleged then that Winston raped her in his apartment after they had met at Potbelly’s, a bar near campus. The investigation sat dormant for nine months before state attorney Willie Meggs declined to file criminal charges in December 2013.

Winston was not found responsible of sexual misconduct following a FSU student conduct hearing in December 2014. He was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft in April and is currently quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kinsman - who is set to graduate from another four-year university this spring - sued him in April, and Winston countersued. That case is pending in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
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Celine Dion’s Husband, Manager Rene Angelil Succumbs To Cancer At 73 @New Story;

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Rene Angelil, Celine Dion’s husband and manager, who molded her from a French-speaking Canadian ingénue into one of the world’s most successful singers, died Thursday after a long battle with throat cancer, officials and family members said.
The 73-year-old Angelil died in the suburban Las Vegas home in Henderson he shared with Dion and their three children.
Angelil died of natural causes under the care of a doctor, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said. No further investigation was expected.
A post on Dion’s Facebook page said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that René Angélil, aged 73, died this morning at her residence in Las Vegas after a long and courageous fight against cancer. The family wishes to live the mourning in privacy.”
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying he has always appreciated the couple’s support because they took a risk on Las Vegas when Dion began her residency in 2002 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
“As a result, we in Las Vegas feel Céline Dion is one of ours,” Reid said. “She has brought so much positive attention to our city. Her love affair with René and her family was something that was so admirable.”
Angelil was born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and Syrian father. He became the love of Dion’s life and the linchpin for her huge success, guiding her career for most of her life.
Angelil was a former singer-turned-manager when he received an audio tape of Dion, then 12, from her mother.
“At that time I had been in the business for 20 years,” Angelil recalled in a 1991 interview with The Associated Press. “In those 20 years, I had never heard or had a feeling come out of someone like this little girl I had in front of me. I had shivers all over, you know.”
Dion has said he mortgaged his house to finance her first album. In time, Dion’s voice would become one of the most popular in the world, recalling big-voiced singers such as Barbara Streisand and Whitney Houston.
Initially, she only sang her in native French, and while she was a huge star in her native Quebec, it didn’t translate to widespread international success. She had to learn English to gain success in the United States and other countries.
By the late 1990s and 2000s, her soaring voice had become dominant on the radio. The theme from “Titanic,” the smash “My Heart Will Go On,” has been her defining hit.
She and Angelil married in 1994 in an elaborate ceremony at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal. He was constantly seen by her side.
In 2000, he was at the center of a high-profile extortion case.
Court records indicate that Angelil agreed to pay Yun Kyeong Kwon Sung $2 million in “hush money” after she claimed he fondled her in an elevator of the Imperial Palace hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Angelil’s lawyer revealed the terms of the confidential settlement to a grand jury that indicted Sung and her husband on charges of extortion and bribery. Angelil acknowledged no wrongdoing and was never charged.
The Nevada Supreme Court in 2008 overturned the charges against Sung and her husband.
Angelil told the Las Vegas Sun in 2003 that he paid the money because he was worried about his wife’s welfare as they struggled to conceive and that they didn’t “need the stress.”
Dion was public about her difficulty, revealing that she underwent procedures to eventually get pregnant with her children, Rene-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy.
Angelil also had a son and daughter from his previous two marriages.
Angelil was first diagnosed with skin cancer while they were trying to conceive their first child. After he was born, and with Angelil on the mend, Dion retreated from touring and started the residency in Las Vegas so she could be more stable.
Dion said Angelil had talked about dying and even discussed his funeral plans.
“I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.’” she told USA Today. “And René says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ OK, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.”

Couple Accused Of Robbing Denny’s With “Gas Bomb” Arrested

FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Two people accused of robbing a Denny’s restaurant using a bottle filled with gasoline have been taken into custody.
On Sunday, January 10th, Tiffany Sierzputowski, 20, walked into the restaurant on East Commercial Boulevard in Oakland Park and asked the cashier if she could break a ten dollar bill. When the cashier opened the register, sheriff’s investigators say her partner in crime, 27-year old Robert Golden, walked up to them holding a squirt bottle of gas and a lighter.
Investigators say Golden threatened to set the cashier on fire if she didn’t hand over money. The cashier handed over about $380 and the pair left.
Investigators say this isn’t the only time they’ve made this threat.
BSO says the pair used a note at a Hallandale Beach Denny’s later that same day that said, “Really sorry Empty the register as quickly and calmly as possible We have GUNS and Gas Bombs.”
In that incident they left empty-handed.
Detectives say surveillance cameras got a good look at the duo at a Dania Beach 7-Eleven on Tuesday.
BSO says they didn’t threaten anyone in the store but the woman did steal about $30 bucks worth of food before climbing into the black car and driving off.
The sheriff’s office said after they released surveillance video of the Denny’s robbery to the media, family members of Sierzputowski and Golden contacted contacted them and identified the pair.
The couple was picked up. During questioning, they reportedly admitted to the robberies, saying they were homeless and have a heroin, crack cocaine and flakka addiction.

'World-startling event': N. Korea claims hydrogen bomb test

TOKYO — North Korea announced Wednesday that it tested its first hydrogen bomb, a major leap in its nuclear program that promptly drew international condemnation.

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting on the reported test, "strongly" condemning the move and pledging to pursue new sanctions. ​

Earlier, a statement by North Korea's secretive government said "the first H-bomb test was successfully conducted" at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, said in a "world-startling event," North Korea has "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states" and is "equipped with the most powerful nuclear deterrent."

The announcement came soon after a magnitude-5.1 earthquake was reported by the U.S. Geological Service 30.4 miles from the city of Kilju, North Korea, where the country's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is located.

That is the same area where North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

Chipotle's food safety woes lead to criminal investigation, sales slide

Sales at fast casual chain Chipotle Mexican Grill continue to tumble as the company's struggle with a bout of foodborne illness issues at locations across the country deepens.

The company, on Wednesday, reported a double dose of bad news. Sales at restaurants open at least a year slid 30% in December and fell 14.6% during the fourth quarter. The company had previously predicted an 11% decline for the period. Chipotle also said it has been served with a federal grand jury subpoena over an August  norovirus episode in California.

The Denver-based company said it was served with a subpoena in December and notified about an official criminal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations.

"The subpoena requires us to produce a broad range of documents related to a  Chipotle restaurant in Simi Valley, California, that experienced an isolated norovirus incident during August 2015," the company says in an Securities and Exchange Commission filing. "We intend to fully cooperate in the investigation.  It is not possible at this time to determine whether we will incur, or to reasonably estimate the amount of, any fines, penalties or further liabilities in connection with the investigation pursuant to which the subpoena was issued."

The burrito chain's stock has taken a walloping after the series of foodborne illness outbreaks. Chipotle (CMG) shares were down nearly 1% at $444.74 in morning trading. The stock has fallen by about one third in last 12 months. The company said Wednesday that it approved the repurchase of up to another $300 million of its shares, in addition to a $300 million authorization approved in December. During the fourth quarter it said it repurchased 609,000 shares at an average price of $556 apiece.

A norovirus episode in Boston last month sickened more than 120 college students. There have also been dozens of cases of Chipotle customers being sickened with E. coli in nine states over the last few months. The company has yet to confirm the cause of the outbreak.

In the August case in California, a Chipotle restaurant in Simi Valley, Calif. was temporarily closed after dozens of customers and 18 employees reported symptoms of norovirus. The restaurant was reopened after restaurant operators did a deep cleaning of the store.

"As a matter of policy, we do not discuss pending legal actions, but we will fully cooperate with this investigation," Chris Arnold, a Chipotle spokesman said. He declined to offer further comment on the company's disclosure about the federal probe.

Also in August, Minnesota health and agriculture officials reported an outbreak of salmonella among customers of 17 different Chipotle restaurants located primarily in the Twin Cities metro area. Minnesota Department of Health officials cited tomatoes as the cause of outbreak, which affected 64 customers. Nine of those sickened customers were hospitalized.

Chipotle has marketed itself as a healthier option to fast food, touting itself as the first major national chain to eliminate genetically-modified ingredients from most of its menu.The company has more 1,900 restaurants.It reports fourth-quarter financial results on Feb. 2.

Netflix CEO declares service a 'global TV network'

In a keynote address to an audience assembled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings today announced that Netflix will be available in 130 new countries.USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS -- Netflix CEO Reed Hastings would be a formidable opponent in the game Risk.

At the close of his keynote here at the CES show, the co-founder of the streaming video giant announced that the service had gone live in 130 additional countries including India, Russia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others, ushering in "the birth of a global TV network," he said.

That brings Netflix's global footprint to more than 190 countries, with the only major holdout being China. "We are continuing to work on that and we are very patient," Hastings said.

Overall, Netflix, which originally launched in 1997, was expected to have surpassed 74 million members globally by the end of 2015. Globally, Netflix subscribers viewed 12 billion hours of content over the last three months of the year, an increase of 45% over the same period in 2014.


In the U.S., consumer spending on subscription streaming services such as Netflix rose 25% in 2015 to $5 billion, according to the Digital Entertainment Group. Total entertainment spending on movies and other video rose 1% to $18.1 billion.

Rams bash St. Louis in Los Angeles relocation bid

The St. Louis Rams want to move back to Los Angeles because the St. Louis market is a dud and because attendance is bad despite "significant" investments in the team by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, according to the team's relocation filing obtained Tuesday night by USA TODAY Sports.

Stadium officials in St. Louis also failed to keep a big promise they made to lure the team from Los Angeles in 1995 – to provide the Rams with a "first-tier" stadium in St. Louis, according to the Rams' filing.

So now they want to move back to L.A., where Rams ownership believes its stadium plan near the L.A. airport is "superior" to the one being jointly proposed by the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders in nearby Carson, Calif. All three teams filed applications Monday to relocate to Los Angeles County in 2016, subject to a vote by NFL owners that could happen as soon as next week in Houston.



The NFL has said it will support only one new stadium in Los Angeles capable of housing two NFL teams -- giving all three teams motive to argue why their plan in L.A. is better than the other and why their current city is no longer viable. Only the Rams' application was obtained by USA TODAY Sports Tuesday night.

FILING: Rams' owner states case for relocation (PDF)

Sometimes the Rams' application language is stark about the team's current home. "St. Louis is not a three professional team market," the application states in a bold heading, referring to the city's baseball Cardinals, hockey Blues and NFL Rams.

The Rams' application argues that trading small-market St. Louis for big-market Los Angeles would strengthen the league.

"Compared to all other U.S. cities, St. Louis is struggling," the team states in its application.

It cites studies that demonstrate that "Los Angeles is a strong market with great opportunity, while St. Louis is a market that will in all likelihood be unable to sustain three professional sports teams."

The Rams have not had a winning season since 2003 after finishing this past season with a 7-9 record. Even so, the Rams' application boasts about ownership's investment in the on-the-field product and implies that ownership is not getting a good return on this investment from the St. Louis fan base.

"The current Rams ownership's investment in the on-the-field Rams team has been significant," the Rams' application states.

"The Rams have consistently spent to the salary cap in each year under Stan Kroenke and have significantly increased the coaching and scouting budgets…Despite these investments and engagements, Rams attendance since 2010 has been well below the league's average. The combination of low attendance and the lack of pricing power… has consistently placed the Rams in the low fourth quartile in gross ticketing receipts generally between 60% and 70% of the NFL average per game for the regular season."

Comparing the three cities and teams, the Rams' application cites the team's popularity in L.A., saying that surveys show "greater demand for the return of the Rams than any NFL team." The Rams also cite studies that show that "San Diego and Oakland are significantly more attractive markets than St. Louis, which is projected to be 26th in growth among NFL markets moving forward."

"St. Louis is already the smallest market of the three in both population and gross domestic product ("GDP") before factoring in future growth," the team's application states.

H-bombs vs. A-bombs explained

The hydrogen bomb and the atom bomb are very different. This video gives a simple explaination of both boms and their differences. USA TODAY

TOKYO — How powerful are hydrogen bombs? Think of it this way: They use atomic bombs just as a trigger.

Atomic weapons like those previously tested by North Korea rely on nuclear fission to release energy — basically splitting atoms. The bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II used this technology to release explosive power equivalent to about 15 and 20 kilotons (1,000 metric tons) of TNT, respectively.

Hydrogen bombs use nuclear fusion, in which atoms fuse together, to release even greater amounts of energy. The two-stage process is often referred to as a thermonuclear reaction. The first hydrogen bomb tested by the United States in November 1952 released the equivalent energy of 10,000 kilotons (or 10 megatons) of TNT.

If North Korea really has tested a hydrogen bomb, as it claims — and that remains a big “if” — it has joined a select group.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China have nuclear arsenals composed of hydrogen weapons; Israel, India, and Pakistan are generally believed to have nuclear weapons that use only nuclear fission.

White House skeptical of North Korea's hydrogen bomb claims Gregory Korte,

WASHINGTON — The White House expressed skepticism of North Korea's claims to have successfully detonated a hydrogren bomb Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the initial analysis by U.S. intelligence agencies is “not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test.”

Intelligence agencies were continuing to examine new evidence, Earnest said, and he acknowledged that seismic activity was consistent with some kind of atomic detonation. But he noted that independent analysts around the world had expressed “significant and understandable skepticism of the claims of the North Korean regime” that it had a more advanced hydrogen bomb.

                                                               

North Korea's nuclear claims prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity Wednesday. President Obama is expected to speak to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Also, National Security Adviser Susan Rice met with the Chinese Ambassador to the United States at the White House Wednesday, and Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken will travel to the region next week.

The message, Earnest said, is to reassure regional allies that the United States remains committed to their security. But he also observed that the condemnation of North Korea was coming not only from U.S. allies like Japan and South Korea, but also rivals like China and Russia.

“What is true is that North Korea continues to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, and their isolation has only deepened as they’ve sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts,” Earnest said.

Powerball jackpot spikes to $500 million

Wednesday night's Powerball jackpot has increased to a half BILLION dollars, as Dr. Evil might say.

That's a cool $306 million before taxes if a lucky winner opts to take the money in one lump sum instead of as an annuity over 30 years.

"It's all based on sales. It's growing exponentially right now because the sales are just through the roof right now," said Kelly Tabor, Colorado Lottery spokeswoman.

Multi-State Lottery Association officials added $50 million Tuesday and $50 million again Wednesday to the Powerball grand prize as buyers flocked to stores to buy not one, but multiple $2 tickets.

Because the odds of matching every number are 1 in 292 million, the jackpot, potentially the fourth largest in Powerball history, has rolled over 17 times without a winner.
"We have jackpot chasers who specifically wait for it to get really big and then they jump in because, you know, when the Powerball starts at $40 million, that's not quite enough for them to buy a ticket. But at $450 million, that's a little more enticing," she said before the pot spiked another $50 million. "So we get these people who wait for it to get really big, and then they jump in."

A Florida woman won the largest Powerball pot, $590.5 million with a cash value of $370.9 million, in May 2013. The second- and third-largest prizes, awarded in November 2012 and February 2015, were split among two and three people.

The largest U.S. lottery prize ever was for a Mega Millions game, a $656 million jackpot split among three winning tickets in March 2012. Back then, the odds of picking the correct numbers were more than 1 in 175 million.

So, how do you pick your numbers? Your birthday? Your family's birthdays?

Do you have a set of numbers that you ALWAYS play?

You might want to rethink that.

Here are the main draw numbers that came up the most in Powerball drawings in the past 15 years, according to Powerball.com records.

#26 (drawn 266 times)

#41 (drawn 255 times)

#22 (drawn 254 times)

#16 (drawn 254 times)

#42 (drawn 253 times)

#35 (drawn 251 times)

#39 (drawn 250 times)

Are those your numbers?

Just looking at the Powerball itself, here are the most frequent draws:

#20 (drawn 75 times)

#6 drawn 74 times)

#29 (drawn 72 times)

#2 (drawn 69 times)

#18 (drawn 68 times)

#9 (drawn 68 times)

#1 (drawn 68 times)

Are those good odds? A person has better odds of playing in the NBA (1 in 6,864,000), being a movie star (1 in 1,505,000) or becoming the president of the United States (1 in 10,000,000).

Pentagon may upgrade hundreds of troops to possible Medals of Honor

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is poised to order the military services to review more than 1,100 medals issued since the 9/11 terror attacks for possible upgrade to the Medal of Honor, the country's highest award issued for valor in combat, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.

If approved by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the sweeping review would represent one of the most significant steps in decades to honor troops who have displayed extraordinary courage in combat. The review stems from a study of military decorations and awards that was ordered in March 2014 by then Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "to ensure that after 13 years of combat the awards system appropriately recognizes the service, sacrifices and action of our service members."

Should even a fraction of the medals under review be upgraded, it's possible that dozens more troops would receive the Medal of Honor for their bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon had no immediate comment on the documents.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, Marine veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, saluted the Pentagon's review but called it overdue. He blamed military red tape and too many layers of approval required for all the medals it awards for valor.

"It's a systemic problem," Hunter said. "I'm glad they're finally getting around to fixing it. This is military bureaucracy at its worst."

Among the other recommendations forwarded for Carter's approval:

• A new award for troops who have directed drones over battlefields in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The "R" device would be awarded to "recognize remote impacts on combat operations."

• Establishing a standard definition for meritorious service that limits combat awards to those exposed to hostile action or at "significant risk" of exposure.

• Setting goals and guidelines to ensure Medal of Honor and other awards are made in a timely way.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the service organization that represents 1.7 million members, supports the review and the recognition for drone operators, said Joe Davis, a spokesman.

"For those too few who survived, and to the memories of those who did not, the VFW welcomes Secretary Carter’s decision and that of his predecessor to make sure that whenever we finally exit these wars that it is with the full confidence that we properly took care of those who took care of the mission," Davis said. "They, their families and our nation deserve nothing less."

The proposal for potential upgrades to Medal of Honor has the potential to be the most controversial. Of the 37 recommendations, it was the only one not reached by consensus, records show. It would require the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy to re-examine each of the Service Cross and Silver Star nominations they have awarded since Sept. 11, 2001. The Army alone awarded 718 Silver Stars.

The Army and Air Force plan to review the Service Crosses and Silver Stars each branch has awarded. But the Navy and Marine Corps oppose such a review, according to a briefing paper, because top officials there "believe reviewing prior decisions undermines the integrity of commanders' decisions." The Marine Corps is a department of the Navy.

A memo from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus added that such a review "may have long-term detrimental impact on our service culture and our awards program."

Mabus' memo goes on to note that the Pentagon certified in 2010 that the services' Medal of Honor "processes and standards were sound."

"Much of the prestige of our valor decorations stems from confidence in the process before awarding them," the memo says. "Reconsidering all previous valor award decisions without an evidentiary basis would reverse the longstanding policy that protects the integrity of the process by which we award our highest decorations."

Part of the rationale for the recommendation to review the Service Crosses and Silver Stars, according to another briefing paper, is that prior from 2001 to 2010, all the Medals of Honor were bestowed posthumously. After this Pentagon guidance was issued, "there is no requirement to meet the 'risk of life' portion of the (Medal of Honor) award criteria all recipients have been living."

In addition, the paper notes, "Combat experience of commanders differed early in the conflict and this lack of combat experience may have led to an initial reluctance to recommend members for the (Medal of Honor)."

The review included input from more than 1,000 combat-experienced troops at 13 posts, according to another paper.

Monitors will determine whether N. Korea's nuke blast is a hydrogen bomb

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un personally signed the order three weeks ago authorising Pyongyang's latest nuclear test, calling for 2016 to kick off with the "thrilling sound" of a hydrogen bomb explosion. Video provided by AFP Newslook

The United States and its allies should be able to determine within weeks whether North Korea’s nuclear test involved a hydrogen bomb — as it claimed — through a network of seismic and other devices that detect and measure nuclear explosions.

“They have pretty much surrounded North Korea” with such devices, said Greg Thielmann, an analyst at the Arms Control Association and former State Department intelligence analyst. “My guess is within a couple weeks the U.S. will have reached some conclusions.”

Experts will analyze both the size of the explosion and the radioactive particles emitted by the detonation, Thielmann and other analysts said.

Hydrogen bombs are far more powerful and complex than atomic bombs and difficult to make because they require fusion, or the fusing of atoms, rather than fission, the splitting of atoms that creates the power of atomic bombs.