- Graduated the `PodTopologyLabelsAdmission` feature gate to Beta and enabled it by default.
  Pods now receive `topology.kubernetes.io/zone` and `topology.kubernetes.io/region` labels automatically when their assigned Node has these labels. ([#135158](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/135158), [@andrewsykim](https://github.com/andrewsykim))

### Apps

- Added deleting pods created by `DaemonSet` assigned to not existing nodes. ([#73401](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/73401), [@krzysztof-jastrzebski](https://github.com/krzysztof-jastrzebski))

* Add `metrics-port` to kube-proxy cmd flags. ([#72682](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/72682), [@whypro](https://github.com/whypro))
* Adds deleting pods created by DaemonSet assigned to not existing nodes. ([#73401](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/73401), [@krzysztof-jastrzebski](https://github.com/krzysztof-jastrzebski))

- Kube-proxy now correctly handles the case where a pod IP gets assigned to
  a newly-created pod when the pod that previously had that IP has been

  It changes the dual-stack API wrt Service from a single ipFamily field to 3
  fields: ipFamilyPolicy (SingleStack, PreferDualStack, RequireDualStack),
  ipFamilies (a list of families assigned), and clusterIPs (inclusive of
  clusterIP).  Most users do not need to set anything at all, defaulting will
  handle it for them.  Services are single-stack unless the user asks for

- Fixed an EndpointSlice Controller hashing bug that could cause EndpointSlices to incorrectly handle Pods with duplicate IP addresses. For example this could happen when a new Pod reused an IP that was also assigned to a Pod in a completed state. ([#115907](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/115907), [@qinqon](https://github.com/qinqon)) [SIG Apps and Network]

        </field>
        <field xml.transient="true">
          <name>mergeId</name>
          <version>4.0.0</version>
          <description>
            FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY. This is a unique identifier assigned to each
            resource to allow Maven to merge changes to this resource that take
            place during the execution of a plugin. This field must be managed

### Signing Release Artifacts

Release artifacts are [signed](https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/issues/3031) using [cosign](https://github.com/sigstore/cosign)
signatures
and there is experimental support for [verifying image signatures](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/verify-signed-images/).

- HostNetwork pods no longer depend on the PodIPs to be assigned to configure the defined hostAliases on the Pod ([#126460](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/126460), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea)) [SIG Network, Node and Testing]

- Give terminal phase correctly to all pods that will not be restarted. 

  In particular, assign Failed phase to pods which are deleted while pending. Also, assign a terminal 
  phase (Succeeded or Failed, depending on the exit statuses of the pod containers) to pods which
  are deleted while running.