Petition-Weary White House Changes Rules

Sorry, but the White House won't be responding to any more Death Star construction requests—at least, not unless they get 100,000 signatures. Yesterday, the White House raised the 25,000-signature threshold previously required to get an official administration response to a petition submitted on the "We the People" website. "When we launched We the People, none of us knew how popular it would be, but it's exceeded our wildest expectations," the official wrote. "When we first raised the threshold [in 2011]—from 5,000 to 25,000—we called it 'a good problem to have.' Turns out that 'good problem' is only getting better."

Though the official didn't mention them by name, Politico notes that in recent weeks, the White House has responded to petitions regarding not just the Death Star, but also a request to secede from the union as well as one to deport Piers Morgan. (More White House stories.)