USDA Probes First Mad Cow Case in U.S. The Associated Press December 23, 2003, 6:34 PM EST Washington -- The first-ever U.S. case of mad cow disease is suspected in a single cow in Washington state, but the American food supply is safe, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday. "We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman. She told a news conference that a single Holstein cow that was either sick or injured -- thus never destined for the U.S. food supply -- tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness. Mad cow disease, known also as...