Cities’ HQ pitches to Amazon are super-duper secret

So secret that even some civic leaders don’t know what they’re promising. Leslie Pool, a member of the Austin City Council, told the NYT:

I don’t know what we offered Amazon in terms of financial incentives, but I believe Amazon wants to see the biggest incentive package that any city will offer them.

It’s partly because the bids are handled by local private Chamber of Commerce affiliates or economic development groups. There’s also some gamesmanship — cities don’t want to show their hands — and Amazon’s determination to protect its own proprietary information. More from Julie Creswell of the NYT:

With so much secrecy — and bids like Austin’s that involve unelected officials making promises — there is the risk that taxpayers and their civic leaders will be forced to accept the proposed terms or live with turning down an enormously lucrative opportunity.

How do you tell a Trump bot from a grandma on Twitter?

Sara Burnett of the AP says it’s tricky:

Nina Tomasieski logs on to Twitter before the sun rises. Seated at her dining room table with a nearby TV constantly tuned to Fox News, the 70-year-old grandmother spends up to 14 hours a day tweeting the praises of President Trump and his political allies, particularly those on the ballot this fall, and deriding their opponents.

Social networks treat frequent, single-topic posting as a sign of an automated campaign. So Ms. Tomasieski has found Twitter flagging her as a bot.

Revolving door

Goldman Sachs plans to name Jim Esposito as a global co-head of trading as soon as today. (CNBC)

Deutsche Bank wants to expand its wealth management team in the U.S. by 25 percent this year. (FT)

The speed read

Deals

■ Paul Singer’s Elliott Management told investors, in a confidential letter, that it isn’t secretive. (WSJ)

■ The Kushners’ real estate firm closed a deal to hand control of 666 Fifth Ave., its troubled skyscraper, to Brookfield Asset Management. (WSJ)

■ Amcor, an Australian packaging company, is buying an American rival, Bemis, for about $5 billion. (FT)

■ Hong Kong I.P.O.s have set a summer record, raising $13.4 billion in the three months through August. (Bloomberg)

Politics and policy

■ Top British policymakers warn that Britain is now likely to leave the E.U. without a deal. (Bloomberg)