FIRST SHOTS: Afghan government talks with Taliban, Biden wants to strangle someone

The Upshot

Welcome to "First Shots," a daily roundup of early-bird news and a preview of what's to come.

• The Taliban and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have begun "secret, high-level talks" to negotiate an end the war in Afghanistan. (Washington Post)

• The Supreme Court will hear a case today regarding whether a father whose son died in Iraq can sue picketers who showed up at his son's funeral to condemn homosexuality. (NPR)

• Hungary says it will need tens of millions of dollars and at least a year to clean up a spill of industrial toxic red sludge from an aluminum plant. Four people have died, 120 were injured and six more are missing in the wake of the spill. (BBC)

• Working-class whites are going Republican by margins twice the size of the last two elections, according to a new poll. The survey says Democrats should blame the economy for the shift. (Associated Press)

• The White House released a new assessment criticizing Pakistan's government and military for being unwilling to take action against al Qaeda and terrorists. (Wall Street Journal)

• Meanwhile, militants in Pakistan continue to torch NATO supply trucks. (UPI)

• Joe Biden threatens to "strangle" Republicans who complain about balancing the budget. (Politico)

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