* Automated cherry pick of [#49259](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/49259): update json-patch to fix nil value issue when creating mergepatch ([#59324](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/59324), [@yue9944882](https://github.com/yue9944882))

// so actually
// void atomicload64(uint64 *res, uint64 volatile *addr);
TEXT runtime·atomicload64(SB), NOSPLIT, $0-12
	MOVL	ptr+0(FP), AX
	TESTL	$7, AX
	JZ	2(PC)
	MOVL	0, AX // crash with nil ptr deref
	LEAL	ret_lo+4(FP), BX
	// MOVQ (%EAX), %MM0
	BYTE $0x0f; BYTE $0x6f; BYTE $0x00
	// MOVQ %MM0, 0(%EBX)
	BYTE $0x0f; BYTE $0x7f; BYTE $0x03
	// EMMS
	BYTE $0x0F; BYTE $0x77
	RET

- Fix missing "apiVersion" for "involvedObject" in Events for Nodes. ([#87537](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87537), [@uthark](https://github.com/uthark)) [SIG Apps and Node]
- Fix nil pointer dereference in azure cloud provider ([#85975](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/85975), [@ldx](https://github.com/ldx)) [SIG Cloud Provider]

* Ensure the GCI metadata files do not have newline at the end ([#38727](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/38727), [@Amey-D](https://github.com/Amey-D))
* Fix nil pointer dereference in test framework ([#37583](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/37583), [@mtaufen](https://github.com/mtaufen))

- A customizable `OrderedScoreFuncs()` function was introduced. Out-of-tree plugins 
  that used the scheduler's preemption interface could implement this function
  for custom preemption preferences or return nil to keep the current behavior. ([#121867](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/121867), [@lianghao208](https://github.com/lianghao208))

- Ignore context canceled from validate and mutate webhook ([#120020](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/120020), [@divyasri537](https://github.com/divyasri537)) [SIG API Machinery]
- Kubeadm: fix nil pointer when etcd member is already removed ([#120011](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/120011), [@neolit123](https://github.com/neolit123)) [SIG Cluster Lifecycle]

### Other (Cleanup or Flake)

- Avoid caching the Azure VMSS instances whose network profile is nil ([#100948](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/100948), [@feiskyer](https://github.com/feiskyer)) [SIG Cloud Provider]

* etcd client add dial timeout. ([#61459](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/61459), [@hzxuzhonghu](https://github.com/hzxuzhonghu))
* nil admission options are now consistent with other nil options. ([#63993](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/63993), [@tamalsaha](https://github.com/tamalsaha))

* Added bool type support for jsonpath. ([#39063](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/39063), [@xingzhou](https://github.com/xingzhou))
* Preventing nil pointer reference in client_config ([#40508](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/40508), [@vjsamuel](https://github.com/vjsamuel))

- Azure: check the nil error before invoke err.Error() ([#96623](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/96623), [@nilo19](https://github.com/nilo19)) [SIG Cloud Provider]