washington white house monday rule talk north korea except discuss fate americans hold appear rebuke secretary state rex tillerson say washington directly communicate pyongyang nuclear missile program clear time talk white house spokeswoman sarah sanders tell reporters reiterate tweet president donald trump weekend see undercut tillerson conversations take place ... would bring back americans detain sanders say beyond conversations north korea time tillerson say saturday trip china unite state directly communicate north korea nuclear missile program pyongyang show interest dialogue trump trade insult threats north korean leader kim jong un recent weeks late dismiss prospect talk north korea waste time tell rex tillerson wonderful secretary state waste time try negotiate little rocket man trump write twitter use sarcastic nickname kim save energy rex do trump write first time white house state department seem odds policy issue ask trump still confidence tillerson secretary state sanders say senior administration official say tillerson misspoke think misspeak acknowledge fact channel might reason talk north korea behavior change sometime road official say tillerson say beijing unite state multiple direct channel communication pyongyang probe north korea see interest dialogue top u.s. diplomat express hope reduce tensions north korea fast advance toward goal develop nuclear-tipped missile capable hit u.s. mainland probe stay tune tillerson tell small group reporters ask would like talk say unite state couple three channel open pyongyang another u.s. official say tillerson may overstate status u.s. line communication north korea benefit chinese host push trump administration lure pyongyang negotiate table trump vow halt north korea nuclear ambition tensions escalate recent months pyongyang conduct sixth large nuclear test sept. 3. also threaten test hydrogen bomb pacific fate americans hold north korea also bone contention trump administration demand north korea release three u.s. citizens detain missionary kim dong chul academics tony kim kim hak song trump white house state department take divergent stances foreign policy issue dispute qatar erupt year trump strongly back gulf arab leaders accuse qatar support iran well islamist militants trump accuse qatar high-level funder terrorism even pentagon tillerson caution military commercial humanitarian effect boycott impose arab state months dispute trump adopt position line state department white house reject talk north korea nuclear issue