- Kube-apiserver: the `metadata.selfLink` field can no longer be populated by kube-apiserver; it was deprecated in 1.16 and has not been populated by default since 1.20+. ([#107527](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/107527), [@wojtek-t](https://github.com/wojtek-t))

* client-go: restores behavior of populating the BearerToken field in rest.Config objects constructed from kubeconfig files containing tokenFile config, or from in-cluster configuration. An additional BearerTokenFile field is now populated to enable constructed clients to periodically refresh tokens. ([#71713](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/71713), [@liggitt](https://github.com/liggitt))

**Affected Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.0 - v1.29.3
  - kube-apiserver v1.28.0 - v1.28.8
  - kube-apiserver <= v1.27.12

**Fixed Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.4

**Affected Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.0 - v1.29.3
  - kube-apiserver v1.28.0 - v1.28.8
  - kube-apiserver <= v1.27.12

**Fixed Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.4

- E2e tests wait for kube-root-ca.crt to be populated in namespaces for use with projected service account tokens, reducing delays starting those test pods and errors in the logs. ([#108860](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/108860), [@eddiezane](https://github.com/eddiezane)) [SIG Testing]...

**Affected Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.0 - v1.29.3
  - kube-apiserver v1.28.0 - v1.28.8
  - kube-apiserver <= v1.27.12

**Fixed Versions**:
  - kube-apiserver v1.29.4

### ConfigMap

- Graduated `PodObservedGenerationTracking` feature to beta and had it on by default. This feature meant that the top level `status.observedGeneration` and `status.conditions[].observedGeneration` fields in Pods were populated to reflect the `metadata.generation` of the podspec at the time that the status or condition was reported. ([#132912](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/132912), [@natasha41575](https://github.com/natasha41575)) [SIG Apps, Node and Testing]...

- Tighten validation on the qosClass field of pod status. This field is immutable but it would be populated with the old status by kube-apiserver if it is unset in the new status when updating this field via the status subsource. ([#127744](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/127744), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory)) [SIG Apps, Instrumentation,...

- AdmissionReview objects sent for the creation of Namespace API objects now populate the `namespace` attribute consistently (previously the `namespace` attribute was empty for Namespace creation via POST requests, and populated for Namespace creation via server-side-apply PATCH requests) ([#95012](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/95012), [@nodo](https://github.com/nodo)) [SIG API Machinery...