FINNEY-SMITH AND DRAFT EQUITY IN EXCHANGE FOR IVRING AND MARKIEFF MORRIS. DALLAS LOOK TO PAIR THE EIGHT- TIME NBA ALL IN JUST HOURS ... THE TRIAL OF ALEX MURDAUGH IS SET TO CONTINUE. SOON ... A JURY WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE DISGRACED LAWYER ... SHOT AND KILLED HIS WIFE AND SON. WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING TO HEAR THIS WEEK. THE GROWING CONTROVERSY ... OVER THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON ... NOW IN *PIECES OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO. AUTHORITIES ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIND THE MEN ... SEEN THROWING A BOMB ... AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE UNUSUAL PLACE ... THEY SAY ... THEY *THREW THE BOMB FROM. A PRIMARY SHAKEUP. STARTING NEXT YEAR ... SOUTH CAROLINA WILL VOTE - *FIRST ... IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE. WE'RE HEARING FROM THE STATE ... BUMPED DOWN BY BOTH SOUTH CAROLINA ... - *AND GEORGIA. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING - - I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS AND MELISSA HALL ARE HERE WITH US NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY PATCHY FOG BEFORE 7AM. OTHERWISE, SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 68. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 9 MPH. MONDAY NIGHTCLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 40. CALM WIND. TUESDAY MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 70. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND BECOMING EAST 5 TO 8 MPH IN THE MORNING. TUESDAY NIGHT PARTLY CLOUDY, WITH A LOW AROUND 48. EAST WIND AROUND 5 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING. WEDNESDAY MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 74. WEDNESDAY NIGHTPARTLY CLOUDY, WITH A LOW AROUND 54 HAPPENING IN JUST HOURS ... THE TRIAL OF ALEX MURDAUGH IS SET TO ENTER WEEK THREE. THE DISGRACED FORMER LAWYER IS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AND KILLING HIS WIFE MAGGIE ... AND SON PAUL ... BACK IN JUNE OF 20-21. THIS WEEK ... WE'RE EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM SEVERAL MORE MEMBERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT ... WHO WERE THERE THAT NIGHT ... AND HAVE COMBED THROUGH A *LOT OF EVIDENCE. HERE'S A QUICK RUNDOWN OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND HEARD SO FAR. THE JURY FIRST SAW THE - *GRAPHIC POLICE BODY CAM VIDEO ... AND UN- REDACTED 9-1-1 CALLS FROM THAT NIGHT. THEN ... THEY SAW VIDEO OF ALEX MURDAUGH TALKING TO INVESTIGATORS. A SLED AGENT TESTIFIED MURDAUGH TOLD HIM QUOTE "I DID THEM SO BAD." THE DEFENSE CLAIMS THE VIDEO SAID *THEY DID HIM SO BAD. THE TRIAL IS SET TO CONTINUE THIS MORNING AT NINE- 30. DON'T FORGET ... YOU CAN STREAM THE TRIAL LIVE.. ON OUR WEBSITE .. WJCL DOT COM. OR YOU CAN WATCH IT ON THE GO ... ON THE WJCL 22 NEWS APP. ALL NEW THIS MORNING ... U-S NAVY DIVERS ARE WORKING TO RECOVERY DEBRIS ... FROM THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON ... SHOT DOWN OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA. MEANTIME ... AS ABC'S FAITH ABUBEY REPORTS ... OFFICIALS IN CHINA ... ARE - *CONDEMNING THE UNITED STATES' REACTION. THIS MORNING NAVY DIVERS URGENTLY TRYING TO RECOVER WHAT'S LEFT OF A NOW-DESTROYED CHINESE SPY BALLOON AFTER IT SPENT DAYS TRAVERSING THE U.S. A FIGHTER JET STRIKING THE BALLOON SATURDAY WITH A MISSILE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: ?FRANK 1 BLAST ONE. THAT IS A TAKE KILL? THE DEBRIS FIELD SPREAD SEVEN MILES ACROSS SHALLOW WATERS OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA. STEVE GANYARD / ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR WHAT THE COAST GUARD IS LOOKING FOR IS WHERE IS THAT PAYLOAD? WHERE IS THE METAL PART OF THE BALLOON THAT WAS UNDERNEATH THAT BALLOON THAT HOLDS THE SENSORS? CHINA ACCUSING THE U.S. OF QUOTE EXCESSIVE REACTION TO THE BALLOON CLAIMING IT WAS A CIVILIAN AIRSHIP. MEANWHILE REPUBLICANS CRITICIZING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAY THE U.S. SHOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED THE BALLON TO HOVER OVER ITS AIRSPACE FOR DAYS. SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R) FLORIDA I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT IF WE FLY A BALLOON OVER CHINA, THEY ARE GOING TO SHOOT IT DOWN AND PROBABLY A LOT SOONER THAN WE DID. DEMOCRATS HITTING BACK. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK I WOULD USE TWO WORDS IN ANSWERING THESE GOP CRITICISMS. THEY ARE PREMATURE AND THEY ARE POLITICAL. OUR FRIENDS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH U.S. INTELLIGENCE. SENIOR BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS SAY THE MILITARY TOOK IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SENSITIVE MILITARY INFORMATION. AND THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN ORDERED THE BALLOON TO BE SHOT DOWN AS SOON IT POSED NO RISK TO PEOPLE ON THE GROUND. THEY ALSO REVEAL THAT AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP LEFT OFFICE AUTHORITIES DISCOVERED THAT CHINA USED SPY BALLOONS OVER THE US AT LEAST THREE TIMES DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, INCLUDING TRUMP HIMSELF, HAVE DENIED THE CLAIMS. ONCE THE NAVY DIVERS RECOVER THE BALLOON DEBRIS, THE FBI IS EXPECTED TO TAKE CUSTODY OF ANY COMPONENTS AND SHIP THEM TO A LAB IN QUANTICO, VIRGINIA FOR INTELLIGENCE GATHERING. FA ABC NEWS WASHINGTON ALL NEW THIS MORNING ... INVESTIGATORS ARE SEARCHING FOR THREE MEN ... WHO THREW A BOMB ON AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUS. IT HAPPENED IN LEXINGTON SOUTH CAROLINA ... NEAR COLUMBIA ... LAST SUNDAY ... AND THE WHOLE THING WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA. CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ... WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE MOMENT THE MOLOTOV COCKTAIL CAME CRASHING DOWN ONTO THE PARKING LOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THE THREE SUSPECTS ... GOT ONTO THE ROOF OF THE SCHOOL AND THREW THE BOMB DOWN. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS HURT. WE NOW KNOW MORE THAN FIVE- HUNDRED-PEOPLE ARE DEAD ... AND SOME THREE- THOUSAND ARE HURT ... AFTER A POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE HIT TURKEY AND SYRIA EARLY THIS MORNING. OFFICIALS SAY IT WAS A MAGNITUDE SEVEN-POINT- EIGHT. RIGHT NOW ... RESCUERS ARE *FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR SURVIVORS ... AS COMMUNITIES BRACE FOR AFTERSHOCKS. PEOPLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA ... WILL NOW BE THE - *FIRST TO VOTE ... IN THE 20-24 PRESIDENTIAL RACE. OVER THE WEEKEND ... THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE PASSED A NEW EARLY PRIMARY CALENDAR ... REPLACING *IOWA ... WITH SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS MORNING ... FRUSTRATIONS ARE GROWING IN THE MIDWEST. "DEMOCRATS CANNOT FORGET ABOUT ENTIRE GROUPS OF VOTERS IN THE HEART OF THE MIDWEST WITHOUT DOING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE PARTY." CATHERINE LEWIN/DES MOINES RESIDENT "IT MAKES SENSE, AND I THINK SEEING THAT WE'RE NO LONGER A PURPLE STATE, WE'RE FAR MORE A REPUBLICAN HELD STATE, IT KIND OF MAKES SENSE THAT IT WOULD BE MOVING TO OTHER STATES." SOUTH CAROLINA IS NOW - *FIRST ... WITH A PRIMARY ON FEBRUARY 3RD. GEORGIA WILL VOTE FOURTH ... ON FEBRUARY 13TH. WE NOW KNOW A *RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAVELED THROUGH SAVANNAH LAST YEAR. ACCORDING TO THE SAVANNAH HILTON HEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ... MORE THAN THREE-AND-A- HALF *MILLION PEOPLE WENT THROUGH THE AIRPORT LAST YEAR. THAT'S UP 27- PERCENT FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. AS FOR THE AIRLINES SEEING THE MOST FOOT TRAFFIC ... ATLANTA-BASED DELTA AIR LINES IS NUMBER ONE ... AT NEARLY 31- PERCENT. AMERICAN ... AT NEARLY 24- PERCENT. AND SOUTHWEST ... AT NEARLY 15- PERCENT. AND HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR TRAFFIC TRACK 22. THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING. HIGHWAY 21 AT GULFSTREAM ROAD IN PORT WENTWORTH AND IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A LIVE LOOK AT TRAFFIC AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY... YOU C