Owen Labrie Now Says He Did Not Have Sex With His Underage Victim

Despite testimony from the alleged victim and his friends, 19-year-old Owen Labrie testified on Wednesday that his encounter with a 16-year-old female student last year was consensual and did not involve intercourse. Taking the stand, Labrie said the pair stripped down to their underwear "but it didn't feel like the right move to have sex," even though he had put a condom on and he "thought she was having a great time." This contradicted testimony from the young woman -- 15 at the time -- who said Labrie raped her; Labrie said he was bragging and lying about the encounter. The trial has shined a light on the prestigious St. Paul's prep school, where a campus tradition known as the "senior salute" allegedly involves encouraging seniors to have sexual encounters with as many younger female students as possible.

James Holmes Given One Of Longest-Ever Sentences

Colorado theater shooter Holmes was sentenced to 12 consecutive life sentences without parole plus 3,318 years on Wednesday after a long, emotional trial over his 2012 killing of 12 people during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado. In a break from the decorum he showed throughout the trial, Judge Carlos A. Samour described Holmes as an angry quitter who gave up on life and turned his hatred into murder against innocent strangers, ending the hearing with, "Sheriff, get the defendant out of my courtroom, please," while some survivors and victims' families cheered and someone shouted "loser" as Holmes was led away.

Kentucky Clerk Ordered To Issues Same-Sex Licenses, But Still Refuses

Casey County Clerk Casey Davis steadfastly refuses to issue marriage licenses to both heterosexual and same-sex couples in defiance of the Supreme Court's June 26 ruling legalizing marriage equality. And while Davis said he'd "die" fighting for his beliefs, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a fellow Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, -- who also refuses to issue marriage licenses out of protest -- must do her job as she continues to pursue the case in federal court.

Clinton, Obama Urge Gun Control After Virginia Shootings

Following Wednesday's horrific on-air murder of two Virginia newscasters, the White House renewed its call for Congress to do something about gun control. "This is another example of gun violence that is becoming all too common in communities large and small all across the United States," WH press secretary Josh Earnest said, adding that Congress should take steps to reduce gun violence while protecting Americans' constitutional rights.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that she didn't want to "Let another instance go by without trying to do more to prevent this incredible killing that is stalking our country." Andy Parker, the father of murdered reporter Alison Parker, said he would make it his "mission in life" to make sure "crazy people don't get guns."

Quick Take 1: Sad news for panda lovers: the smaller of the twin giant panda cubs born at the National Zoo in Washington on Saturday died on Wednesday despite herculean efforts to help the mother deal with the difficulty of caring for two babies. Staff members noticed on Wednesday morning that the cub had not gained weight and appeared weaker, but they are optimistic that the other cub could survive and thrive.

Quick Take 2: The civil rights icon who helped lead the Bloody Sunday voting rights march in Selma in 1965, Amelia Boynton Robinson, died on Wednesday at age 104. The longtime advocate for black voting rights was the first black woman to run for Congress in Alabama and was among those beaten during the legendary march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Her role in helping to advance civil rights earned her a guest spot at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Johnson.