Fox News Digital told readers Trump “secures ‘permanent’ US military rights.” An unnamed senior official told Fox, “Denmark and Greenland would not have approval authority over additional U.S. military installations. The U.S. would consult with them but would have the right to build new installations when it determines they are necessary without needing their buy-in.”

You read those sentences and the United States already holds Greenland’s security forever, and Denmark gets a phone call about the next hangar.

Denmark’s Prime Minister’s Office put out a joint Greenland-Denmark release the same day. The English headline was “Expected agreement on strengthened security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area.” The three governments “are expected to sign” next week at the United Nations. “Following signature, the agreement will enter into force subject to the necessary national parliamentary procedures.”

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who heads Greenland’s government, said “we are about to make an agreement.” Mette Frederiksen, who heads Denmark’s, said “we are about to make a great agreement.” She said it “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”

On Saturday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had a “binding agreement” ahead of him, “respecting the Kingdom’s red lines.” Greenland’s foreign minister, Múte B. Egede, told TV2, “we now have an agreement within reach.”

They have not released the text.

American troops live at Pituffik Space Base, the old Thule station, under the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement. The treaty lets the United States establish “such defense areas as the two Governments, on the basis of NATO defense plans, may from time to time agree to be necessary.” Those rights exist “Without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.” United States aircraft “may fly over and land in any territory in Greenland… without restriction except as mutually agreed upon.” The agreement “shall remain in effect for the duration of the North Atlantic Treaty.” In 2004 the governments recorded Thule as “the only defense area in Greenland” and kept Article II for any new ones.

Truman’s people wrote the overflight. They wrote basing that lasts as long as NATO. New bases still need both governments to agree.

Fox said the deal “stops short of transferring sovereignty.” Trump used “has entered into.” Copenhagen used “about to make.”

Trump said no adversary can have a base in Greenland or make sensitive investments “without our express written approval.” Copenhagen’s release does not mention that veto. Copenhagen’s release does not mention giving up approval over new installations. They closed with “There are no further comments at this time.”

You can announce infinite life for a paper the other parties have not signed. Next week is next week. The parliaments have not met.

A man in my building told the hallway he owned the bakery. I walked past and the baker was at the counter, flour on his wrists, selling rye to a woman who had not heard.