Southwest Public Policy Institute

International standards are no longer just technical; they’re becoming policy.

A new partnership between the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) aims to “harmonize” global emissions reporting. While this may sound like a step toward consistency, it raises serious questions about who is shaping climate policy—and who is being left out of the process.

When international frameworks become embedded in domestic regulations, they can influence U.S. energy policy without direct accountability to American voters or elected officials. At the same time, complex reporting requirements, especially around Scope 3 emissions, could impose significant costs on U.S. businesses, distort markets, and disadvantage key industries.

Global coordination has its place. But it should never come at the expense of transparency, economic competitiveness, or national sovereignty.

At the Southwest Public Policy Institute, we believe climate policy should support innovation, strengthen energy security, and remain accountable to the people it affects.

Read the full analysis from Patrick M. Brenner at the link in the comments.

New syndication. Who dis.

Opinion | Why good marketeers smiled when mortgage rates dipped to 5.98% The difference from a 6 percent rate is tiny, but the psychological appeal to customers is big.

America’s housing affordability crisis cannot be solved by banning institutional investors from owning single-family homes.

In the latest policy brief for the Southwest Public Policy Institute, Housing Shock: The Cost of Investor Ownership Bans, Patrick M. Brenner explains why proposals to restrict institutional ownership risk triggering housing market “fire sales” that could depress neighborhood home values, reduce rental housing options, and destabilize local markets.

The real problem facing the United States is a shortage of housing supply, not who owns existing homes. While policymakers continue debating ownership limits, Congress should at minimum adopt a targeted exemption allowing investor-to-investor sales to prevent market disruption and protect both homeowners and renters.

Sound housing policy should expand supply, encourage investment, and protect market stability, not unintentionally make affordability worse.

Link in the comments.

Tsk tsk... Read more on our website.

Trust is the currency of journalism. And in today’s environment, even the appearance of a conflict of interest can erode that trust.

A newly surfaced dynamic raises important transparency questions at the Financial Times. Editor Roula Khalaf is the sister of Michel Khalaf, President and CEO of MetLife, one of the largest life insurers in the United States.

There is no allegation of wrongdoing. But the numbers are notable.

In 2025, the Financial Times mentioned MetLife just 12 times. By comparison, Athene/Apollo were mentioned 124 times, and Global Atlantic/KKR 90 times, all operating in the same insurance and annuity ecosystem.

Is this purely market dynamics? Perhaps.

But when an editor oversees coverage of an industry in which a sibling runs a dominant firm, transparency and recusal protocols matter. Media ethics isn’t only about avoiding impropriety; it’s about avoiding reasonable doubt.

Sunlight protects credibility.

Read the full analysis from the Southwest Public Policy Institute below.

When Silence Speaks: The Optics of Editorial Conflict A statistical coverage disparity raises transparency questions at the Financial Times.