The Senate on Thursday confirmed 48 of President Donald Trump’s nominees in a single vote — a sweeping act made possible by new rules Republicans forced through to shatter a backlog of appointments Democrats had held in check. For months, nominations that once moved as a matter of routine had been caught in procedural snags, as Democrats insisted on roll calls for nearly every Trump pick. The delays infuriated the president and paralyzed the chamber’s work. Republicans, weary of the obstruction, chose to act. The rule change now allows large groups of lower-level, non-judicial nominees to be approved by simple