US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. elections, Canada trade deal, West Virginia coal mines

President Donald Trump's administration may send up to 1,000 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as Trump hammered away at the issue of illegal immigration ahead of congressional elections

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Injury rates jump at coal giant Murray's West Virginia mines

Injury rates have more than doubled at five West Virginia coal mines acquired by Murray Energy Corp. in 2013, according to a Reuters review of federal data, as the firm sharply increased the amount of coal produced per manhour. Although injuries and productivity rates rose over the same period, the causes of the increase in injuries remain unknown and could include a host of factors in the complex business of underground coal mining.

U.S. military may send up to 1,000 troops to Mexico border

President Donald Trump's administration may send up to 1,000 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as Trump hammered away at the issue of illegal immigration ahead of congressional elections. Trump's threat was sparked by the advance of a caravan of Central American migrants trekking through Mexico, heading toward the United States.

Victims of Kentucky supermarket shooting identified by police

A black man and woman were identified by police on Thursday as the two people shot dead at a Kentucky supermarket by a white male suspect who is reported to have told an armed bystander not to shoot him as "whites don't kill whites." The suspect, identified as Gregory Bush, 51, was in custody and facing multiple charges including two counts of murder and 10 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, Jeffersontown Police said in a statement.

Caitlyn Jenner slams Trump says transgender people 'relentlessly attacked'

Caitlyn Jenner, America's best-known transgender celebrity, said on Thursday that she had been wrong to support President Donald Trump, saying he had insulted the transgender community and turned them into political pawns. Jenner, 68, who announced her transition from Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn in 2015, voted for Republican Trump in the 2016 presidential election despite criticism from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Design for bombs sent to Trump critics came from internet: source

The investigation into 10 pipe bombs sent to high-profile Democrats and critics of U.S. President Donald Trump is focusing on leads in Florida, a federal law enforcement source said on Thursday while another source said investigators believe the devices' design came from the internet. All the suspicious packages were believed to have gone through the U.S. postal system at some point, the source said. Many of the packages had the return address of the Florida office of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who formerly chaired the Democratic National Committee, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. dairy farmers get little help from Canada trade deal

Minnesota farmer Paul Fritsche can no longer afford health insurance as he struggles to sustain a dairy farm that has been in his family for nearly a century. With U.S. milk prices in the fourth year of a slump due to chronic oversupply, Fritsche, 58, is unsure whether he will be able to pass his 30-cow farm onto his sons and grandsons.

With record number of women running in U.S. elections, gender gap could boost Democrats

The record numbers of women running for office in the United States this year are mostly Democrats, and their party is banking on their candidacies and a widening gender gap on key issues to achieve big wins in the Nov. 6 elections. Reuters/Ipsos polling two weeks ahead of Election Day showed Democrats with a 5-percentage-point lead over Republicans among likely voters in the elections, where control of Congress is at stake.

U.S. Powerball lottery leaps to $750 million after massive Mega Millions jackpot

No tickets matched the six numbers drawn in the Powerball lottery on Wednesday, sending the jackpot to $750 million, the fourth largest in U.S. history and the second astronomical jackpot this week. The Powerball numbers 3, 21, 45, 53, 56 and a Powerball of 22 were drawn on Wednesday night. The next drawing will be held on Saturday at 11 p.m. EST.

Two decades after brutal killing, Matthew Shepard to be laid to rest

Two decades after Matthew Shepard was kidnapped and killed, turning him into an inspirational symbol for the fight against violence targeting gay people, his remains will be interred on Friday at the Washington National Cathedral. The Episcopal cathedral will host a service for the public, followed by a private interment ceremony in its crypt. Attendees are expected to fill the 2,500-seat nave and spill onto the front lawn.

Judge orders Robert Durst of 'The Jinx' to stand trial over 2000 murder

Robert Durst, the subject of an HBO documentary, "The Jinx," will have to stand trial in the 2000 murder of his longtime friend, a judge ruled on Thursday after finding prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to move forward. Durst, 75, was arrested in 2015 and charged with murder in the shooting death of his confidante Susan Berman.

(With inputs from Reuters)