CITIES ON HIGH ALERT.. AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLS FOR HIS SUPPORTERS TO PROTEST... IF HE'S ARRESTED *TODAY. AWAITING A POSSIBLE INDICTMENT -- AS A GRAND JURY NEARS A DECISION. I'M AMY LU IN WASHINGTON WITH THE LAWMAKERS RALLYING IN DEFENSE OF FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. DRIVERS ARE UPSET.. AFTER SITTING IN THIS TRAFFIC.. DUE TO CONSTRUCTION ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. HOW NEIGHBORS SAY.. IT'S CAUSING DELAYS.. FOR EVERY PART OF THEIR DAY. PLUS .. ALEX MURDAUGH'S SURVIVING SON.. SAYS HE HAS - *NOTHING TO DO WITH THE UNSOLVED DEATH .. OF A HAMPTON COUNTY TEEN. WHAT THE TEENS' FAMILY.. IS DOING NOW... TO MOVE HIS CASE FORWARD. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING - - I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY SUNNY, WITH INCREASING AFTERNOON CLOUDS WITH A HIGH NEAR 66. LIGHT NORTHEAST WIND INCREASING TO 5 TO 10 MPH IN THE MORNING. TONIGHT PARTLY CLOUDY, WITH THIS MORNING .. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE'LL BE ARRESTED. HE CALLED FOR HIS SUPPORTERS TO PROTEST.. AS A GRAND JURY IN NEW YORK.. IS PREPARING TO HAND DOWN A POSSIBLE INDICTMENT. AMY LU JOINS US FROM WASHINGTON.. WHERE LAWMAKERS ARE RALLYING IN HIS DEFENSE. A GRAND JURY IN NEW YORK IS PREPARING TO HAND DOWN A POSSIBLE INDICTMENT OVER THE HUSH MONEY CASE AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. TRUMP CLAIMED HE WOULD BE ARRESTED TODAY, BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE HIS PREDICTION COULD COME TRUE. AMY LU IS (LIVE) IN WASHINGTON. AMY -- LAWMAKERS WHO SUPPORT THE FORMER PRESIDENT ARE NOW RALLYING IN HIS DEFENSE. REPORTER LIVE LEDE: HOUSE REPUBLICANS ARE DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY FROM THE ACTIVE CRIMINAL CASE AND THE ATTORNEY LEADING THE INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. VO) REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS LEADING SEPARATE HOUSE COMMITTEES SENT A LETTER TO MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY ALVIN BRAGG -- A DEMOCRAT -- ON MONDAY. THE LETTER DEMANDS BRAGG'S TESTIMONY AND COPIES OF ANY DOCUMENTS COMMUNICATING WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. BUT BOTH BRAGG AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL LIKELY NOT RESPOND TO THE REQUEST... GIVEN THE ACTIVE CASE. TRUMP IS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR HIS ROLE IN A HUSH MONEY SCHEME... THIS MORNING ... DRIVERS WILL SEE DELAYS.. DUE TO LANE CLOSURES ON HIGHWAY 80 .. NEAR THE LAZZARETO CREEK BRIDGE. OUR NIKIYA CARRERO JOINS US LIVE NEAR THE CONSTRUCTION SITE THIS MORNING. NIKIYA.. YOU HEARD FROM NEIGHBORS.. WHO ARE PRETTY UPSET ABOUT THESE CLOSURES. THAT'S RIGHT EMMA.. THE CLOSURES WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. AND I TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY EAGER.. TO SEE IT COME TO AND END. THE CLOSURES STARTED YESTERDAY... AND THIS VIDEO SHOWS THE LONG LINE OF TRAFFIC IT CAUSED. TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS SAY THEY'LL CONTINUE FOR AT LEAST NINE DAYS... AS LONG AS THE WEATHER PERMITS. I SPOKE WITH RESIDENTS WHO SAY TYPICALLY WHEN SOMETHING IS GOING ON THE ONLY ROAD OFF THE ISLAND THEY STAY PUT. <> CREWS ARE ALTERNATING BETWEEN WHICH SIDE OF DRIVERS CROSS AS THE BRIDGE IS DOWN TO ONE LANE. IF YOU'RE GETTING ON THE ROAD THIS MORNING.. MAKE SURE YOU'RE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE OUT FOR DELAYS AND SIGNS AROUND THIS AREA. FOR NOW WE'LL TOSS IT BACK TO YOU GUYS IN THE STUDIO. THANKS NIKIYA. "I JUST LOVE MY SON AND SINCE I COULDN'T PROTECT HIM, I'M GONNA FIGHT FOR HIM." ALEX MURDAUGH'S SON.. BUSTER MURDAUGH.. IS - *SLAMMING ALLEGATIONS.. HE'S INVOLVEDIN THE 2015 DEATH OF A HAMPTON COUNTY TEEN. YESTERDAY.. STEPHEN SMITH'S FAMILY ANNOUNCED THEY RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO EXHUME HIS BODY.. AND GET AN INDEPENDENT AUTOPSY. DIANE GALLAGHER HAS MORE ON THE CASE.. AND THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION.. BETWEEN THE VICTIM.. AND MURDAUGH'S ONLY SURVIVING SON. NATS 911 OPERATOR: "WHERE IS YOUR EMERGENCY?" CALLER: "I JUST GOING DOWN CROCKETVILLE ROAD... I SEE SOMEBODY LAYING OUT." IT'S BEEN NEARLY EIGHT YEARS SINCE THE BODY OF 19-YEAR-OLD STEPHEN SMITH WAS FOUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS COUNTRY ROAD IN HAMPTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE TEEN'S DEATH GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION IN JUNE 20-21- NEARLY SIX YEARS AFTER HE WAS KILLED... WHEN THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS OPENING AN INVESTIGATION INTO HIS DEATH "BASED UPON INFORMATION GATHERED DURING THE COURSE OF THE DOUBLE MURDER INVESTIGATION OF PAUL AND MAGGIE MURDAUGH." NATS "VERDICT GUILTY" ALEX MURDAUGH WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE MURDERS OF HIS WIFE AND SON EARLIER THIS MONTH... NATS "FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE." AND INVESTIGATORS HAVE NEVER REVEALED WHAT INFORMATION THEY GLEANED FROM THE MURDAUGH MURDERS INVESTIGATION THAT RESULTED IN HIS CASE BEING OPENED. TODAY, NEW, PRIVATE EFFORTS LAUNCHED TO UNCOVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES-- SPEARHEADED BY SMITH'S MOTHER, SANDY, AND TWO ATTORNEYS. THE FIRST GOAL? EXHUMING SMITH'S BODY. RONNIE RICHTER, SMITH FAMILY ATTORNEY: " WE THINK WE HAVE GOOD CAUSE TO SHOW WHY A FRESH SET OF EYES ON THIS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL... IT KIND OF HAS TO START WITH A FRESH NEW LOOK AT THE BODY." INITIAL REPORTS SAID THE NURSING STUDENT DIED ON JULY 8, 2015, FROM BLUNT FORCE HEAD TRAUMA, ORIGINALLY SAID TO BE THE RESULT OF A HIT AND RUN. BUT THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION TEAM REPORT CITED "NO VEHICLE DEBRIS, SKID MARKS, OR INJURIES CONSISTENT WITH SOMEONE BEING STRUCK BY A VEHICLE." SANDY SMITH, STEPHEN SMITH'S MOTHER: "I JUST LOVE MY SON AND SINCE I COULDN'T PROTECT HIM, I'M GONNA FIGHT FOR HIM." SMITH'S MOTHER SAID SHE WORRIED HER SON MAY HAVE BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE HE WAS GAY. ACCORDING TO POLICE FILES, DURING INTERVIEW WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY AFTER SMITH'S DEATH- THE MURDAUGH NAME KEPT COMING UP. BUT NO SUSPECT HAS EVER BEEN NAMED AND AUTHORITIES HAVE NEVER CONNECTED ANYONE IN THE MURDAUGH FAMILY TO SHOTS FIRED.. EVERYBODY WAS KIND OF SCATTERING, DUCKING DOWN, RUNNING TO THE, LIKE, SIDES OF THE RESTAURANT. THIS MORNING ... POLICE SAY A GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT IS DEAD.. FOLLOWING VIOLENT SPRING BREAK WEEKEND IN MIAMI. FAMILY OF JORDAN IDAHOSA.. CONFIRMED THE VALDOSTA SATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT WAS ONE OF THE VICTIMS OF A DEADLY SHOOTING. THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW... THE CITY PUT A STATE OF EMERGENCY .. AND OVERNIGHT CURFEW IN PLACE.. DURING SPRING BREAK EVENTS. THE SHOOTINGS HAPPENED BACK TO BACK.. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... AND LEFT TWO PEOPLE DEAD. TAKE A LOOK AT THE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO.. SHOWING PEOPLE SCATTERING .. AND RUNNING FOR COVER IN THE STREETS. POLICE ARE NOW PREPARING FOR ANOTHER WEEKEND. BUSINESS OWNERS SAY THE LARGE.. ROWDY CROWDS.. ACTUALLY CAUSE THEM TO - *LOSE MONEY. DAVID WALLACK: ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT, OH, LOOK AT THAT BUT LOOK AT THE MONEY THEY'RE MAKING. IT'S - THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE LIE. VICTOR OQUENDO: THAT'S NOT THE CASE DAVID WALLACK: IT IS NOT THE CASE. AND IT'S BECOME SOMETHING THAT CHASES ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS AWAY. IT CHASES THE RESIDENTS OUT OF TOWN POLICE SAY THEY'VE MADE ARRESTS FOLLOWING THE SHOOTINGS. THE CITY OF MIAMI VOTED - *AGAINST PUTTING A CURFEW IN PLACE THIS WEEKEND.. SINCE THEY'RE EXPECTING SMALLER CROWDS. AUTHORITIES ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM.. ABOUT A CAR THEFT *CRISIS. OFFICIALS IN TWO *DOZEN STATES ARE DEMANDING MAJOR CAR COMPANIES TAKE ACTION.. AS THIEVES TARGET HYUNDAI AND KIA VEHICLES. WE'VE TOLD YOU BEAUFORT POLICE SAY THIEVES STOLE SEVERAL KIAS IN OUR AREA RECENTLY. MANY BLAME A TIK TOK TREND.. WHICH SHOWS YOU HOW TO STEAL THESE TYPES OF CARS.. WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. BUT OFFICIALS SAY THE COMPANIES ARE TO BLAME.. BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE AN ANTI- THEFT TECHNOLOGY .. THAT MOST MANUFACTURES INCLUDE AS STANDARD. BOTH COMPANIES DID OFFER FREE SOFTWARE UPGRADES ... WHICH WOULD MAKE THE CARS ALARMS SOUND FOR LONGER.. BUT OFFICIALS SAY THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. "WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIA AND HYUNDAI'S PLAN IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO GET THAT SOFTWARE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T ACCESS THE SOFTWARE ARE ABLE TO GET STEERING-WHEEL LOCKING DEVICES FREE OF CHARGE AND SO WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIA AND HYUNDAI ARE GOING TO DO TO HELP THE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THESE STEPS." IN STATEMENTS YESTERDAY, HYUNDAI SAID ALL THEIR VEHICLES MET FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS -