They may not be old enough to legally vote, but age hasn't stopped students at a Westchester elementary school from predicting history. 

The children have a serious legacy to uphold at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Yorktown Heights. Students correctly predicted Richard Nixon would be president in 1968, and the school hasn't been wrong on a presidential election since. 

"Our whole staff is a little nervous," said Principal Patricia Moore. "We are a good predictor [of who will win the presidential election]."

Teachers explained the electoral process to students, which hasn't been easy during a campaign season that has been crude and wrought with scandal. Instead of focusing on candidates, students were asked about traits that qualify a candidate as a good president.

"We have been trying to stay away from the candidates and really talk to them about the process of what's happening and preparing them for their roles as voters as well," said teacher Danielle Stiehl.

Children lined up single file inside an election-themed classroom, complete with patriotic fan drapery and a string of American flags dangling above a blue-curtained voting booth. Inside the booth, a teacher assisted students with voting by instructing them to pull a lever in the direction of their choice.

At the end of the day, students eagerly sat inside the auditorium for an announcement of the election results. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote with 52 percent — according to the kids.

The auditorium erupted into wild screams. 

Whether the children of Ben Franklin Elementary get this year's president right or not, each voter is left with the feeling that regardless of the results, their ballot certainly counts. 

"I learned that it counts when you vote," said 11-year-old Brian Schiller. "Everyone deserves to have a chance to vote."

After 108 years of heartbreak, a Chicago Cubs fan in New Hampshire is celebrating the team's big World Series win.

Hazel Nilson — who grew up within walking distance of Wrigley Field — now lives in Sunapee and stayed up to watch the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in extra innings early Thursday morning to win its first championship since 1908. It was the first she's ever witnessed.

"Wow!" Nilson said, when asked how she was feeling. "I always had hope that someday they'd win, and by golly, they did."

She was still feeling a bit tired on Thursday morning when necn spoke to her, but was basking in the glow of her team's World Series victory.

"It was a night I'll never forget," said Nilson, who watched Game 7 with her son, her grandson and friends at Sunapee Cove Assisted Living Home. "We were all rooting for the Cubs, and suddenly they had the hit that scored the run. We all yelled — I even jumped up!"

She said she only wished she could have been in the clubhouse, even if it meant getting soaked with champagne.

Nilson was born in Chicago on Aug. 21, 1908, just a couple of months before the Cubs last won the World Series. She moved to New Hampshire two years ago to live closer to her son.

Some of Nilson's neighbors have already reached out to the Chicago Cubs organization suggesting that they should bring the World Series trophy to New Hampshire so she can see it in person.

Penn State is facing a record fine for the way it mishandled the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case.

The U.S. Department of Education wants to fine the school $2.4 million for failing to disclose what school officials knew about Sandusky's sex crimes.

Sandusky, a football coach under legendary head coach Joe Paterno, was convicted in 2012 of sexually abusing several young boys. Some of the sex crimes occurred on Penn State's campus.

The penalty is punishment for breaking the law known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

"For colleges and universities to be safe spaces for learning and self-development, institutions must ensure student safety -- a part of which is being transparent about incidents on their campuses. Disclosing this information is the law," U.S. Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell said in a statement Thursday.

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to report publicly each year the number of criminal offenses on campus. Schools have to give the information to the Department of Education [DOE], which then provides it to the public.

The $2.4 million fine is the largest ever levied by the DOE, nearly seven times the highest fine to date, which was $350,000 against Eastern Michigan in 2007.

Just last week, a jury awarded assistant Penn State football coach Mike McQueary $7.3 million in lost wages and damages. McQueary, a key witness in the trial against Sandusky, testified he told Paterno in 2001 that he'd seen Sandusky sexually abusing a boy in a shower inside the school's locker room.

To date, the scandal has cost the school upwards of $100 million in lawsuit settlements to victims and their families, legal fees and penalties assessed by the NCAA, according to a report in the New York Times.

Des Moines' top cop called the fatal shootings of a pair of Iowa police officers a "cowardly act of calculated murder," NBC News reported.

Urbandale police Officer Justin Martin, 24, and Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony Beminio, 38, were killed in separate "ambush-style attacks" while they sat in patrol cars Wednesday morning.

Scott Michael Greene is suspected of the shootings, and will likely be charged with two first-degree murder charges, police said, when he's released from a hospital for an existing medical condition.

"What happened yesterday was calculated murder of two law enforcement officers. Plain and simple, that's the reality," said Police Chief Dana Wingert in an emotional news conference Thursday.

Donald Trump holds the advantage in the reliably Republican states of Arizona and Texas, but he's running neck and neck with Hillary Clinton in Georgia, according to a trio of NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls.

In Arizona, where Clinton campaigned Wednesday night, Trump leads Clinton by 5 points among likely voters, 45 percent to 40 percent, while Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson is at 9 percent and the Green Party's Jill Stein is at 3 percent. In September, Trump was ahead by just 2 points in this four-way race, 40 percent to 38 percent.

In Texas, Trump's advantage over Clinton is 9 points, 49 percent to 40 percent, with Johnson at 6 percent and Stein at 2 percent.

In Georgia, Trump is ahead by just 1 point among likely voters, 45 percent to 44 percent, with Johnson at 8 percent. (Stein isn't on the ballot in the state.) In September, Trump was up 2 points, 44 percent to 42 percent.

Tesla Motors has filed a suit against an oil industry executive, claiming the man impersonated the company's CEO Elon Musk in an email message, according to a report by Forbes.

The complaint was filed Wednesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court against Todd Katz, CEO for Quest Integrity Group, a Seattle-based company that provides services for oil and gas companies, Forbes reported.

Palo Alto-based Tesla claims Katz was trying to gain non-public financial information from the electric-car maker after its most recent earnings report, Forbes said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, Forbes said.

According to the suit, on Aug. 3, Tesla CFO Jason Wheeler received an email from elontesla@yahoo.com seeking confidential financial projections and car pre-order numbers beyond what was provided earlier that day during the company's earnings call with analysts, Forbes said. Wheeler did not provide the information.

The complaint says the email address is similar to one Musk has used in the past.

According to Forbes, the suit says the company's review determined that Katz was the author. Along with Katz, the complaint says as many as 10 others were involved. They were not identified.

Pier 1 Imports has recalled more than 150,000 glass knobs due a risk of breaking, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Fort Worth-based company recalled the Basic, Kira and Facets knobs after seven reports of injuries, such as lacerations, due to the knobs breaking during installation and use.

The knobs — commonly used with dressers, cabinets and small drawers — have a metal stem affixed to one side and were sold in clear, teal, pink, green, aquamarine, champagne and silver.

Pier 1 sold the knobs in stores nationwide and online from September 2011 through October 2016 for $6 to $7.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled knobs and return them to any Pier 1 store for a refund.

For more information, visit www.pier1.com or call Pier 1 at 855-513-5140 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

NOTE: NBC Chicago will offer a live stream of the river dying at 7:15 a.m. CT and complete parade coverage beginning at 9 a.m. Friday.

Just hours before the Chicago Cubs' World Series parade takes over downtown Chicago Friday, the Chicago River was dyed blue, city officials announced. 

The river took on the Cubs' hue just after 7 a.m. CT.

Street closures, parking restrictions and transportation reroutes were all in effect as preparations begin for the massive Cubbie celebration. 

Fans are being asked to watch the parade along Addison Street from Sheffield Avenue to Pine Grove Avenue, along North Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to Ohio Street and on Columbus Drive from Monroe Street to Balbo Avenue. 

The parade route will start about 11 a.m.

The parade will leave Wrigley Field about 10 a.m., the mayor's office said in a news release, with the official parade route starting about 11 a.m. traveling along Michigan Avenue between Oak Street and Ohio Street. It will then continue along Columbus Drive between Monroe Street and Balbo Avenue.

A celebration rally will take place at Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park at approximately noon, when the motorcade arrives in Grant Park.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine made history Thursday as he delivered what was called the first speech completely in Spanish by a candidate at an organized campaign rally during a presidential election, NBC News reported.

"Latinos will have a very important voice in this election and the option is crystal clear," the senator from Virginia said in Spanish to a crowd of roughly 360 people gathered at the Phoenix rally, which was punctuated by a mariachi band and signs like "Bienvenidos a Arizona."

"By 2050, communities of color will constitute the majority of our population. So of course Latinos will help shape the future of America because you folks are the future of the United States," he said.

Donald Trump's son Eric took a verbal shot at David Duke and his white nationalists supporters Thursday, saying the former Ku Klux Klan leader "deserves a bullet." 

Eric Trump told conservative radio host Ross Kaminsky, of Denver's 630 KHOW, that Duke and his supporters are "horrible people," and praised his father for his attempts at outreach to the black community.

"Ross, it's disgusting, and by the way, if I said exactly what you said, I'd get killed for it, but I think I'll say it anyway, the guy does deserve a bullet," Trump said of Duke.

"In fact, I commend my father. My father is the first Republican who's gone out and said, 'Listen, what's happened to the African-American community is horrible and I'm going to take care of it.'"

Hundreds gathered on Thursday at the University of Wisconsin-Stout to pay their last respects to classmate Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, NBC News reported.

The 24-year-old Saudi student was assaulted and left bloodied outside a pizzeria on a crowded street Sunday morning. He later died from the assault. Authorities are not dismissing the possibility that the attack was a hate crime. It is likely that many also witnessed the beating on Sunday, though there is only one viable witness.

More than 20 of Alnahdi’s closes friends shared their memories of him Thursday while holding candles. He was described as a man who “bridged the gap between the Saudi and local community.”

The U.S. government believes hackers from Russia or elsewhere may try to undermine next week's presidential election and is mounting an unprecedented effort to counter their meddling, American officials told NBC News.

The effort is being coordinated by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, but reaches across the government to include the CIA, the National Security Agency and other elements of the Defense Department, current and former officials say.

Russia has been warned that any effort to manipulate the actual voting or vote counting would be viewed as a serious breach, intelligence officials say.

"The Russians are in an offensive mode and [the U.S. is] working on strategies to respond to that, and at the highest levels," said Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.

Officials are alert for any attempts to create Election Day chaos, and say steps are being taken to prepare for worst-case scenarios, including a cyber-attack that shuts down part of the power grid or the internet.

Nearly three million Samsung washing machines are being recalled because the top of the machines can unexpectedly detach during use, causing a broken jaw and other injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Thirty-four washing machine models are subject to the recall, which affects 2.8 million machines sold since March 2011, the agency said Friday. 

Nine injuries have been reported, including a broken jaw, as a result of machine tops coming off, among 733 reports of excessive vibration on the machines or the top detaching. Anyone with one of the machines is recommended to use use delicate or waterproof cycles for bedding, water-resistant or bulky items.

Consumers can get a free repair in their home, a rebate toward a new washing machine with free installation or a refund for anyone who purchased one of the recalled machines in the last 30 days.

Samsung is sending out a kit with instructions for safe washing machine use to all known consumers.

Consumers with questions can call Samsung toll-free at 866-264-5636 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. Read more about the recall at the CPSC website.

The following models are affected by the recall:

WA40J3000AW/A2 | WA45H7000AP/A2 | WA45H7000AW/A2 | WA45H7200AW/A2 | WA45K7600AW/A2 | WA45K7100AW/A2 | WA48H7400AW/A2 | WA48J7700AW/A2 | WA48J7770AP/A2 | WA48J7770AW/A2 | WA50K8600AV/A2 | WA50K8600AW/A2 | WA52J8700AP/A2 | WA52J8700AW/A2 | WA400PJHDWR/AA | WA422PRHDWR/AA | WA456DRHDSU/AA | WA456DRHDWR/AA | WA476DSHASU/A1 | WA476DSHAWR/A1 | WA484DSHASU/A1 | WA484DSHAWR/A1 | WA48H7400AP/A2 | WA50F9A6DSW/A2 | WA50F9A7DSP/A2 | WA50F9A7DSW/A2 | WA50F9A8DSP/A2 | WA50F9A8DSW/A2 | WA52J8060AW/A2 | WA5451ANW/XAA | WA5471ABP/XAA | WA5471ABW/XAA | WA56H9000AP/A2 | WA56H9000AW/A2

It's the third massive recall for Samsung in as many months. Two versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone were recalled over the risk of overheating batteries causing burns.

Minnesota-based company MyPillow was fined $1 million for running ads with false claims of the pillow helping with snoring, fibromyalgia, migraines and other medical conditions, NBC News reported.

Prosecutors in nine California counties brought the charges against the misleading infomercials. MyPillow spends about $1.4 million each week on advertising and more than 18 million pillows have been sold in 10 years, according to the Boston Herald.

The lawsuit alleged the company “knew or reasonably should have known” their claims were “untrue or misleading.”

"We did nothing wrong. We did not make any misleading claims," MyPillow CEO Michael Lindell told NBC News. "Rather than fight this, I made a business decision to prevent long and costly litigation, pay this and move on."

The company is no longer allowed to claim the pillows cure, prevent or treat any disease without reliable scientific proof.

There's a group of North Texans preparing for impending doom. But they're not just stockpiling guns and provisions.

They'll have underground bunkers, tunnels and even a DNA vault.

Make no mistake, they plan to live in luxury and style.

Ector, Texas, is a tiny, single-traffic light town most see only from the highway. But the pace in the century-old city is about to pick up. Just past the post office, work is now underway on a unique new neighborhood called Trident Lakes.

It is a $300 million project being built on 700 acres just west of Ector, with an emphasis on safety and sustainability.

Over the next few years, fields of grass will conceal 400 underground bunkers, a tunnel system and even a vault to store DNA.

It's all part of a plan to prepare for any impending doomsday.

"You get life assurances for when stuff really gets bad, but while you're at it you live in a five-star resort waiting for that doomsday," said Trident Lakes spokesman Richie Whitt.

Developers are sparing no expense.

The plan includes three white sand lagoons, a gun range, golf course and a polo field. There will be a massive, solid-marble fountain at the entrance that rivals any in Las Vegas, according to Whitt.

"It'll be one of the largest water features in the world when it's done," he said.

Reaction to the development has been mixed, Whitt said.

People think "probably that it's another one of those doomsday cults that are stocking cans and burying their money out back, when we're so far from that," he said.

It's also far away from any major metropolitan area — one of the reasons developers picked the property.

"It's out of what security experts will say is the threat zone," Whitt said.

Developers say they'll have enough food, water and electricity to live off the grid for a year. They expect the first residents to begin moving in by early 2018.

A Texas elementary school teacher was fired and charged with felony after punching a second-grader in the face. 

Lisa Allison, 48, was charged Monday with felony injury to a child for an Oct. 12 incident at Landis Elementary School in Houston, The Houston Chronicle reports.

According to court documents, security camera video shows a student sitting on the floor in the hallway with the teacher bending over him. As the boy walks away, the teacher is seen grabbing him.

The two struggle and the teacher punches the student in the face, according to the probable cause statement.

The teacher is then seen pinning the boy on the ground while sitting on his back. 

The student told police Allison ordered him into the hallway, where she said, "I'm tired of you." Allison offered a different version of what happened, saying the student was disruptive, but admitted to holding the student down.

The teacher was placed on administrative leave when administrators were notified of the incident, the district said in a statement to the Chronicle. She will not be allowed to return to the district, the report said.

Allison was released on a $10,000 bond. She is due in court Nov. 17, 2016.