How bad was monument damaged?

Four cracks in the monument marble were first found after a earthquake rocked the nation's capital last month.Small pools of standing water were found following Hurricane IreneCracks were discovered after an earthquake in late AugustThe Washington Monument is 555 feet tall
Washington (CNN) -- Just how bad was the damage the Washington Monument suffered during the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the East Coast on August 23?
National Park Service officials will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to offer details, including plans on reopening it to the public.
The service has been working with an engineering firm to determine the extent of the damage and what it will cost to fix it.
Small pools of standing water were found in the monument during inspections following Hurricane Irene, the National Park Service said in late August.
"What happened was a lot of mortar popped out, so much so that you can see sunlight above 450 feet in the monument," spokeswoman Carol Johnson said at the time.
The Washington Monument, built between 1848 and 1884, is 555 feet, 5 and one-eighth inches tall. Its walls are 15 feet thick at the base and 18 inches at the top, and are composed primarily of white marble blocks, according to the National Park Service.
Four cracks in the monument marble were first discovered after the earthquake rocked the nation's capital. The repairs will include pinning the stones together and replacing some mortar, Johnson said then.
"The engineers have assured us that the monument is structurally sound," Johnson said.
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"Nevermind" Nirvana cover baby is now 20, just like the album

As a baby, Spencer Elden was thrown into a pool for the cover photo of Nirvana's famous album Released in 1991, Nirvana's "Nevermind" launched grunge rock Elden, now 20, loves Nirvana music

(CNN) -- As an infant 20 years ago, Spencer Elden was thrown into a pool in Southern California to be photographed, naked, underwater, appearing to reach for a dollar bill. The photo would become one of the most iconic images of 1990s music: Nirvana's "Nevermind" album cover.

Released on September 24, 1991, "Nevermind" catapulted the band and its music to the top of the charts, with songs including "Smells Like Teen Spirit" giving birth to the Seattle-based grunge musical style.

On the 20th anniversary of the album's release, Elden, the now-20-year-old son of an artist, said in jest that now he suffers more tribulations than other famously photographed babies whose images are associated more with cuteness than grunge.

"When I am introduced, they introduce me as the Nirvana baby," said Elden.

And because he was sans diaper when the famous shot was taken, there are other questions.

"They usually poke fun at me asking me, 'Is it the same size?'"

"I always say, "It's changed, do you want to see it?'"

Elden, also an artist, said he never met Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, whose looks and demeanor epitomized the '90s Generation-X subculture, a group and a mindset chronicled in films such as "Dazed and Confused" and "Slacker."

"Definitely, I like Nirvana a lot and there are no songs that I don't like -- they all have a special place for people," Elden said.

Elden said he is not swimming in cash as a result of his baby celebrity status. His father, artist Rick Elden, agreed in 1991 to work on the cover with fellow photographer Kirk Weddle. He received no royalties for the job.

"My dad was an artist rigging special effects for Hollywood," said Elden.

"They went to the local pool, threw me in the water and that was it. It was a friend-helping-a-friend kind of thing."

On Saturday, Elden said he celebrated the historic release of "Nevermind" with friends.

"We hung out ... and just listened to Nirvana music, drank beer and hung out. It was a good time," he said.

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Obama heads to L.A. for fundraising push

Obama's plan: Genuine solution or just politics?President's Monday schedule includes an event at the House of Blues in West Hollywood The president spoke Sunday at another fundraiser at Seattle's Paramount TheatreHe ripped "small politics" and said "We are tougher than the times that we live in"

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will spend part of Monday hobnobbing with celebrities and other power-brokers in Los Angeles, continuing a West Coast trip that includes town hall events and fundraisers for his re-election campaign.

The first L.A. event will be hosted by "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. With 1,000 attendees set to spend $250 each for the speech and a concert, the event is expected to help Obama collect a minimum of $250,000.

Then, Obama will head to the Fig and Olive, a restaurant on Los Angeles' trendy Melrose Place, for a private fundraiser co-hosted by investment manager John Emerson, consultant Andy Spahn, Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon, a Democrat with knowledge of the event told CNN. The campaign official said the cost to attend is $17,900 per person.

By Sunday evening, that dinner had already brought in $1.5 million for the Obama campaign in advance of the event, according to a second Democrat familiar with the event.

These fundraisers follow similar events Sunday in Washington state, including a pitch in Seattle in which the president implored his supporters to rally behind him once again, saying that helping secure his re-election is the best way to turn around a sluggish economy and overcome strident political opposition.

"We are tougher than the times that we live in, we are bigger than the small politics that we've been witnessing," he told the audience at the city's Paramount Theatre. "We are a people who write our own destiny, and it is fully within our power to write it once more."

Obama took the stage after being introduced by basketball hall of famers Lenny Wilkens and Bill Russell, the latter imploring the crowd that "as Americans, we must support our president."

Wearing a tie and button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled up, the president began by referring to the "once-in-a-lifetime economic crisis" facing the nation, saying his administration knew "it was going to take years" to rebuild. The fundamental choice now, he argued, was to go forward with his and fellow Democrats' plans or use the "old worn-out ideas that were tried in the last decade."

"The question is not whether this country is going through times, the question is where are we going next," Obama said. "We can build the America that we talked about in 2008, an America where everybody gets a fair shake and everybody does their fair share. That is what this election is about."

The president touted initiatives such as the auto industry bailout, financial reform and the recent official repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that means gay men and lesbians can now serve openly in the military, a mention that drew fervent cheers from the crowd.

Then, as he has repeatedly since proposing it about two weeks ago, Obama touted the America Jobs Act as key to bolstering the economy by helping small businesses, boosting public education, improving infrastructure and other components.

He reiterated his support for tax reform that would pay for the bill, in part, by having wealthier Americans and profitable large corporations pay more in taxes. He added that he felt it is the government's responsibility to act immediately, and not wait for voters' decisions in November 2012 to act.

"It's time for us to meet our responsibility for each other right now," the president said. "(Citizens) don't have the luxury of us squabbling for another 14 months."

The speech came about six hours after Obama landed in Washington state late Sunday morning. He soon thereafter headed to a fundraiser at the Medina, Washington, home of Jon Shirley, a former president and chief operating officer of Microsoft. In brief remarks there, he told the attendees that the upcoming campaign will be tough, especially in a climate in which many are disillusioned with government.

The president's job approval numbers remain low, just as the 2012 campaign is starting to heat up.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released last Wednesday -- based on a survey of 1,004 adults, and with a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points -- found that 53% of the respondents blamed Obama a great deal or moderate amount for the continued economic sluggishness. The previous week, a CNN/ORC International poll showed Obama had a disapproval rating of 55%, the highest of his presidency, mirroring other national polling from Gallup and NBC/Wall Street Journal.

His current West Coast swing serves multiple purposes, from raising money for what promises to be a bruising campaign, to continuing the drumbeat for Congress to approve his jobs bill.

After his California visit, Obama will end his tour Tuesday in the swing state of Colorado with a speech at Denver's Abraham Lincoln High School.

CNN's Lesa Jansen and Jessica Yellin contributed to this report.

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