Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn't much for vacations. But he has spent whatever off-time he must have campaigning for the Republican Party in a hotly contested state Supreme Court election, including by pouring millions of his own dollars into the race.

Ultimately, however, his preferred candidate would lose. And now, even as he continues to direct the Trump administration's federal government-slashing efforts, Musk must face the harsh realities of his day job: Tesla's first-quarter sales are expected to be not-great.

I bring this up because after today, there may well be more questions than ever among Tesla investors about where the focus of their CEO really is.

That kicks off today's Critical Materials roundup of technology and auto industry news amid what's sure to be a very busy day. Also on tap for Wednesday: the tariffs are here, and Volkswagen's Seat brand loses its top executive right as it plans to try and conquer the United States. Let's dig in. 

Tesla has been known to face sinking sales in Europe and China for months. Europeans have soured on the brand amid Musk's forays into global conservative politics, and China is moving on to other, more homegrown electric vehicle brands. U.S. sales are less clear for now, but we know that here (and also globally) the automaker has seen intense protests at its stores every weekend since January. 

All of this is to say that today's first-quarter deliveries report isn't expected to be good news. Granted, the one wild card here is the new Tesla Model Y. The world's best-selling EV—and by some metrics, the world's best-selling car, period—is just now starting to roll out. Many Tesla advocates say that the expected sales decline can be attributed to fans simply waiting for the new Model Y. And I do believe many people aren't buying Teslas simply because they're waiting for that car.